o/^yyee  REGIMENT 


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LAURA  JEAN  LIBBEY 


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Jessie  B.Conway,  ft.  B. 


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CORA, 

The  Pet  of  the  Regiment 


BY 


MISS  LAURA  JEAN  LIBBEY 


ARTHUR   WESTBROOK 
COMPANY 

CLEVELAND,     OHIO,     U.     S.     A. 


If 


a.^ 


CORA,  THE  PET  OF 
THE  REGIMENT 


CHAPTER  I. 

"  MY  DAUGHTER  SHALL  NEVER  HAVE  A  LOVBR  WHILE  I 
LIVE !  "  SAID  THE  OLD  GENERAL^  FIERCELY,  "  I  WILL 
GUARD  HER  FROM  THEM,  IF  I  HAVE  TO  MAKE  A  PRISON 
OF  THESE  FOUR  WALLS,  AND  NEVER  LET  HER  SEE  ANY 
OTHER  HUMAN  FACE  THAN  MINE.'  " 

"  So  you  would  like  to  enter  the  military  school  at 
West  Point,  eh  ? "  said  General  Ormsby,  slowly,  as  he 
keenly  eyed  the  handsome  young  man  before  him;  add- 
ing :  "  I  am  rather  surprised  to  hear  that.  When  you 
saved  my  precious  young  daughter's  life  yesterday,  at  the 
risk  of  your  own,  when  through  fright  she  stumbled  and 
fell  headlong  directly  in  front  of  one  of  the  trolley  cars 
that  was  rushing  along  at  tremendous  speed,  and  would 
have  been  crushed  to  death  in  another  instant  of  time 
but  for  your  act  of  heroism " 

The  old  general's  voice  grew  husky  with  emotion.  He 
stopped  short;  he  could  not  finish  the  sentence  for  a 
moment;  words  failed  him. 

Turning  abruptly  in  his  chair,  he  raised  his  eyes  to 
the  portrait  of  a  young  and  lovely  girl,  fair  as  a  dream. 


2136750 


6  CORA,  THE   PET   OF   THE   REGIMENT. 

that  hung  on  the  opposite  wall,  and  his  bronzed,  weather- 
beaten  old  face  blanched,  and  his  strong  hands  trembled 
as  he  strove  to  control  his  emotions.  The  young  man 
looked  up  at  the  pictured  girlish  face,  too,  and  his  color 
deepened. 

After  a  moment's  pause,  the  general  went  on  slowly: 

"  The  message  I  sent  you  was,  *  Ask  any  favor  in  rea- 
son of  me,  and  if  it  is  within  my  power  it  shall  be 
granted.'  I  supposed  you  would  think  it  a  good  oppor- 
tunity to  be  set  up  in  business  for  yourself,  as  I  hear  you 
have  been  searching  in  the  city  for  a  situation,  and 
without  success.  I  repeat  that  I  am  surprised  to  hear 
you  say  that  you  would  like  to  go  to  West  Point." 

"  It  has  been  the  one  dream  of  my  life,  sir,"  responded 
Arthur  Rollins,  raising  his  frank,  dark  eyes,  the  warm 
color  coming  and  going  on  his  cheeks,  his  form  trem- 
bling with  eagerness — "  my  one  ambition ;  but  I  never 
supposed  that  I,  a  poor  farmer's  son,  with  only  a  limited 
education,  would  ever  live  to  see  that  fond  dream  real- 
ized. The  exciting  life  of  a  soldier  has  a  wonderful 
charm  for  me.  My  heart  and  soul  would  be  in  it.  I 
wouldn't  mind  entering  the  service  as  a  private,  and  by 
dauntless  courage  and  hard  work  win  my  spurs  and  my 
way  to  the  front,  rise  to  a  captain,  then  a  colonel,  and 
perhaps  some  day  I  might  be  a  general  to  rule  an  army,  if 
a  war  should  break  out." 

General  Ormsby  smiled  quietly  at  the  enthusiasm  of 
the  handsome  youth  of  one-and-twenty  standing  before 
him  in  all  the  bravery  of  his  noble  manhood,  saying  to 
himself  "  that  a  finer  young  fellow  would  certainly  be 
hard  to  find." 

For  a  few  minutes  the  general  studied  the  pattern  of 


CORA,   THE   PET   OF   THE   REGIMENT.  7 

the  carpet  attentively;  then  looking  up,  he  said,  sud- 
denly : 

"  We  need  more  brave  young  men  at  West  Point.  We 
have  too  many  milk-sops  there  who  have  gained  an  en- 
trance through  influence  or  money;  men  who  never  ex- 
pect to  see  a  battle,  and  who  are  so  cowardly  they  would 
run  if  a  musket  were  pointed  at  them.  They  think  be- 
fore they  get  there  that  they  are  going  to  have  a  lazy 
life  of  it.  They  soon  have  the  starch  taken  out  of  them 
when  they  go  into  training,  and  suffer  the  hardships 
of  patrol  duty — shouldering  a  heavy  musket  for  thirty- 
six  hours,  with  never  a  wink  of  sleep ;  standing  knee- 
deep  in  water  for  long  hours,  or  lying  on  the  hard  earth, 
wrapped  only  in  an  army  blanket,  with  the  thermometer 
below  zero,  and  exposed  to  the  wind  and  weather  from 
dusk  to  dawn ;  leaping  on  flying  steeds ;  suffering  hun- 
ger, thirst  and  privation  for  days ;  or  if  there  is  a  riot, 
called  out  to  face  death  in  charging  upon  the  mob." 

"  I  would  not  mind  hardship,  sir,"  declared  young 
Rollins.  "  When  one  is  poor  one  is  used  to  it  in  one  way 
or  another." 

"  And  then  there  is  another  thing.  No  soldier  should 
ever  fall  in  love — or  marry,"  added  the  general,  slyly. 
"  They  are  often  ordered  out  upon  the  frontier,  and 
their  sweethearts,  or  even  wives,  must  be  left  behind." 

The  general's  warning,  that  the  young  man  who 
mapped  out  a  military  career  for  himself  should  never 
fall  in  love,  had  been  given  too  late.  Arthur  Rollins' 
heart  had  already  gone  from  him — he  was  hopelessly 
in  love  at  first  sight  with  the  general's  daughter. 

It  never  occurred  to  him  that  he  should  ever  see  her 
again,  or  have  the  opportunity  of  trying  to  win  her.  He 
said  to  himself  he  had  met  his  ideal,  that  he  should  love 


8  CORA,  THE  PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT. 

her  in  secret,  and  hopelessly,  until  the  day  that  lie  died, 
and  never  care  to  look  upon  another  girl's  face. 

There  was  the  sound  of  a  sweet,  silvery  girlish  voice 
in  the  corridor  without.  General  Ormsby  heard  it  and 
Started. 

"  Well,  young  man,"  he  said,  hurriedly,  "  I  shall  see 
that  your  wishes  are  granted,  if  it  be  possible.  There 
happens  to  be  a  vacancy  at  West  Point  from  my  district 
•■^-^e  congressman  from  my  vicinity  informed  me.  You 
shall  take  the  place  of  the  cadet  who  has  just  been  trans- 
ferred, providing — and  it  is  a  very  important  proviso — 
you  can  pass  the  examination  satisfactorily.  Getting  into 
West  Point  is  not  a  question  of  money  or  influence.  A 
young  man  stands  entirely  on  his  own  merits.  The  con- 
gressman from  my  district  shall  propose  your  name, 
however,  and  we  can  but  hope  for  the  result." 

"  I  thank  you  with  all  my  heart,  sir,"  replied  Arthur, 
rising  to  his  feet,  "  more  than  words  can  express.  I 
shall  feel  that  whatever  I  attain  in  the  future  will  be 
due  to  you.  Please  believe  that  my  gratitude  is  un- 
bcMinded." 

"  I  shall  notify  you  in  the  course  of  a  fortnight  in 
CBgard  to  the  matter,"  said  the  general,  rising  and  hold- 
ing out  his  hand. 

There  was  nothing  else  to  do  but  shake  hands  and 
bow  himself  out,  although  the  young  man  would  have 
given  anything  he  possessed  to  have  stayed  long  enough 
to  meet  once  more  the  lovely  young  girl  tripping  lightly 
down  the  corridor;  but  as  he  was  not  asked  to  do  so, 
there  was  nothing  else  to  do  but  to  take  his  leave. 

The  door  had  scarcely  closed  behind  the  young  man 
ere  the  portihes  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  apartment 
were  thrust  aside  by  a  white  hand,  and  a  lovely  young 


CORA,  THE  PET  OF  THE  REGIMENT.  9 

girl,  fair  as  the  morning  itself,  burst  into  the  room  like 
a  bit  of  bewildering  sunshine. 

"  Oh,  here  you  are,  papa !  "  cried  the  girl,  springing 
into  the  old  general's  outstretched  arms.  "  I  have  been 
looking  everywhere  for  you,  you  old  darling!  " 

"  And  now  that  you  have  found  me,  what  is  it  you 
want  ?  "  he  asked,  drawing  the  girl  closer  into  his  arms 
and  stroking  back  the  golden  curls  from  her  dimpled 
face. 

"  I  want  to  show  you  the  invitation  I  have  just  re- 
ceived for  the  grand  ball  the  cadets  are  going  to  give 
at  West  Point;  I'll  tell  you  about  it  later;  but  first  I 
want  to  know  who  it  was  that  was  with  you  a  moment 
since  in  the  library?  " 

"  It  was  Mr.  Arthur  Rollins,  the  young  man  who  did 
us  both  the  greatest  service  of  our  lives  yesterday,"  he 
answered.  "  He  came  here  in  response  to  a  message  from 
me. 

"  It  was  a  wonder  you  did  not  summon  me  to  the 
library,  too,  that  I  might  thank  him  in  person,"  she  re- 
turned in  a  tone  of  great  disappointment.  "  I — I  shall 
probably  never  see  him  again  now." 

"  Your  letter  of  sincere  gratitude  was  all-sufficient, 
my  dear  Cora,"  returned  the  general,  gravely. 

That  Cora  Ormsby  was  the  idol  of  his  life,  the  sun- 
shine and  delight  of  his  old  age,  was  little  to  be  wondered 
at,  in  addition  to  being  as  lovely  a  creature  as  poet  ever 
sung  about  or  artist  painted.  She  was  a  bright  and  jolly 
young  girl,  full  of  mirth  and  coquetry,  with  a  laugh 
like  a  joy-bell.  Every  one  loved  her  and  helped  to  spoil 
her. 

She  never  remembered  what  having  a  mother  was  like 
— ^the  girl  had  been  brought  up  in  an  atmosphere  of  gov- 


lO  CORA,  THE  PET  OF  THE  REGIMENT. 

ernesses  and  tutors;  but  they  had  not  clouded  over  the 
sunshine  of  her  nature,  and  at  seventeen  she  was  way- 
ward and  willful,  but  intensely  lovable. 

The  old  general  prided  himself  on  the  fact  that  he 
had  never  yet  said  "  No  "  to  his  idolized  darling.  The 
time  was  coming  when  the  utterance  of  that  word  was 
to  cost  him  the  severest  pang  of  his  life. 

The  general  had  married  late  in  life,  and  his  marriage 
had  come  about  in  a  strange  way.  He  had  been  known 
to  be  a  confirmed  bachelor;  his  servants  were  all  men; 
he  had  no  patience  with  the  frivolity  of  womankind — he 
held  them  in  supreme  indifference;  every  woman  might 
have  been  swept  from  the  face  of  the  earth  for  all  he 
cared — he  would  not  have  missed  them. 

Suddenly  he  was  called  to  the  bedside  of  a  dying 
comrade,  and  because  he  could  not  find  it  in  his  heart  to 
.say  "  No  "  at  such  a  time,  he  found  himself  made  the 
guardian  of  an  orphaned  daughter. 

He  was  home  on  a  furlough,  and  the  question  which 
perplexed  him  sorely  was — what  should  he  do  with  her 
when  he  returned  to  the  army,  two  weeks  later?  The 
good  minister  of  the  parish  suggested : 

"  Why  not  marry  her,  if  she  will  have  you?  " 

"  But  I  am  old  enough  to  be  her  father,"  declared  the 
general. 

"  Perhaps  she  would  overlook  that,"  was  the  reply. 

"  I  could  never  have  the  courage  to  ask  her  such  a 
question,"  said  the  hero  of  a  hundred  battles,  desper- 
ately, and  flushing  very  red. 

The  minister  took  the  task  of  proposing  for  the  gen- 
eral upon  his  own  shoulders ;  and  the  general  looked  at 
him  in  helpless  bewilderment  when  he  was  informed,  a 
few  days  later,  that  the  young  girl  had  said  "  Yes." 


CORA,  THE   PET   OF  THE  REGIMENT.  11 

The  upshot  of  the  matter  was  he  married  her,  and 
after  a  week  of  unalloyed  happiness  he  went  back  to  his 
army,  leaving  his  young  bride  behind. 

Nine  months  later  he  received  an  urgent  telegram  call- 
ing him  home  from  the  far  West ;  but  he  arrived  too  late 
— his  young  wife  had  passed  away,  and  they  placed  in  his 
arms  the  little  babe  she  had  left  as  a  legacy  to  him,  to 
comfort  him  and  solace  his  old  age. 

General  Ormsby  lived  for  the  child  alone  from  that 
moment — he  could  not  bear  to  have  her  out  of  his  pres- 
ence for  a  day.  When  he  returned  to  the  army  again, 
the  little  one  and  a  faithful  old  nurse  went  with  him. 

The  laughing,  golden-haired,  merry  child  became  the 
pet  of  the  regiment;  there  was  not  a  soldier  but  would 
have  laid  down  his  life  to  serve  the  dainty  little  fairy. 

She  learned  to  use  a  musket  with  the  best  of  them,  and 
to  ride  the  wildest  horse  like  a  young  Diana. 

General  Ormsby  was  greatly  relieved  when  he  was 
recalled  East,  and  could  bring  his  little  daughter  into 
civilization  again,  before  she  was  quite  sixteen. 

Then  began  the  siege  of  making  a  lady  of  the  wayward 
little  beauty,  and  it  was  certainly  the  hardest  battle  the 
old  general  ever  fought. 

She  pleaded  so  sweetly,  and  coaxed  him  so  lovingly  to 
let  her  throw  away  her  books  and  send  the  governess  and 
tutors  away  when  she  was  quite  sixteen,  that  he  couldn't 
say  nay,  though  it  was  contrary  to  his  better  judgment. 

After  that  she  ruled  the  old  mansion,  the  servants,  Miss 
Bitterwood,  the  housekeeper,  and  the  old  general,  ac- 
cording to  her  own  sweet  will.  Wise  people  shook  their 
heads  gravely  and  wondered  how  it  would  end.  Miss 
Bitterwood's  lamentations  were  loud  and  deep  that  harm 
would  yet  come  of  such  willfulness. 


12  C»RA,  THE   PET   OF   THE   REGIMENT. 

"  What  if  she  should  ever  fall  in  love  and  marry,  and 
leave  you  ?  "  some  one  once  asked  the  old  general. 

The  effect  of  those  w^ords  was  alarming.  It  was  the 
first  time  such  a  possibility  had  ever  presented  itself  to 
his  mind. 

"  I — I  think  I  can  manage  that,"  he  said.  "  Cora  shall 
never  have  a  lover  while  I  live;  I  will  guard  her  from 
them,  if  I  have  to  make  a  prison  of  these  four  walls,  and 
never  let  her  see  any  other  human  face  than  mine !  " 


CHAPTER  II. 

FOR   ONE    MOMENT    HE    HELD   THE    SLENDER    FORM    IN    HIS 

ARMS. 

Meanwhile,  Arthur  Rollins  walked  hurriedly  down  the 
country  road,  for  he  had  barely  time  to  reach  the  depot 
and  take  the  train  back  to  the  city  from  which  he  had 
come  in  response  to  General  Ormsby's  telegram,  that  he 
would  like  to  see  at  his  villa  up  in  Cranstons-on-the- 
Hudson  the  young  man  who  had  saved  his  daughter's 
life,  quite  as  soon  as  he  could  make  it  convenient  to  take 
the  trip  up  from  Brooklyn. 

When  the  young  man  had  crossed  the  Brooklyn  Bridge 
in  search  of  something  to  do  on  that  fated  day,  having 
failed  hopelessly  in  the  great  metropolis,  he  little  dreamed 
that  it  was  the  hand  of  fate  leading  him  on  to  his  destiny. 

Arthur  had  scarcely  proceeded  a  dozen  blocks  ere  his 
attention  became  riveted  on  a  pretty  young  girl  walking 
with  an  elderly  lady  just  ahead  of  him. 

The  woman  was  quite  as  old  and  homely  as  the  girl 


CORA^   THE   PET   OF  THE   REGIMENT.  13 

was  sweet  and  pretty,  and  he  judged  by  her  severe  aspect 
that  she  was  probably  the  girl's  chaperon. 

They  were  crossing  the  street  toward  the  opposite  pave- 
ment— the  lady  in  advance,  the  girl  following,  when  sud- 
denly there  was  a  terrible  cry  and  a  shout. 

The  motorman  of  a  trolley  car  had  lost  control  of  the 
power,  and  his  car  was  crashing  down  upon  the  girl  at 
a  terrific  speed.  The  shout  seemed  to  fairly  paralyze 
the  girl.  The  cries  of  the  people  turned  to  groans  of 
horror  as  they  saw  before  their  mind's  eye  the  awful 
tragedy  that  must  take  place  before  their  gaze  in  another, 
instant  of  time. 

Arthur  Rollins  gave  a  great  gasp  as  he  took  in  the 
appalling  situation,  and  the  thought  that  flashed  through 
his  brain  was — I  will  save  her,  or  die  in  the  attempt. 

The  crowd  of  spectators  that  stood  looking  on  with 
bulging  eyes  and  faces  white  as  death  saw  the  young 
man  make  a  desperate  leap,  catch  the  girl  in  his  arms 
as  he  dashed  past  her,  and  in  another  instant  of  time  the 
car  had  rushed  past  the  spot  where  the  terrified  girl  had 
stood.  But  he  had  saved  her — not  a  hair  of  the  lovely 
golden  head  was  hurt — and  the  life  that  throbbed  through 
her  she  owed  to  him. 

Her  companion  received  the  girl  from  his  arms,  almost 
hysterical  with  fright.  From  her  incoherent  words  he 
learned  that  his  surmise  had  been  correct — she  was  the 
girl's  governess  and  chaperon — that  they  had  been  visit- 
ing friends  in  the  city,  and  were  going  over  to  the  Grand 
Central  Depot  in  New  York  on  their  way  home  to  Crans- 
tons-on-the-Hudson, 

They  had  stopped  on  their  way  to  do  a  little  shopping, 
and  were  just  crossing  over  to  the  opposite  pavement 
to  reach  their  carriage  when  the  rescue  took  place. 


14  CORA,  THE   PET   OF   THE   REGIMENT. 

"  General  Ormsby  will  reward  you  handsomely  for  the 
great  service  you  have  rendered  his  daughter  Cora  as 
soon  as  he  hears  of  this,"  said  the  lady  at  parting.  "  Go 
to  him  at  once  when  he  sends  for  you.  He  is  a  great 
general,  and  worth  his  millions,  and  he  loves  his  daugh- 
ter better  than  his  life." 

Arthur  stoutly  declared  he  would  accept  no  pecuniary 
reward  whatever,  and  very  reluctantly  gave  his  card. 

His  sole  reason  in  promising  to  call  upon  General 
Ormsby  was  the  hope  of  meeting  his  lovely  daughter 
again. 

But  the  interview  was  over,  and  he  had  not  seen  the 
fair  young  girl.  In  this  Arthur  felt  grievously  disap- 
pointed, despite  the  fact  that  the  great  old  general  had 
promised  him  that  the  fond  dream  of  his  life  should  be 
realized — he  should  enter  West  Point,  and  that  speedily, 
too,  providing  he  could  pass  the  examination. 

And  so  it  came  to  pass,  after  a  fortnight's  hard  study 
day  and  night,  in  which  Arthur  put  in  more  hard  work 
than  many  another  young  man  in  twice  as  many  months, 
coached  by  the  general,  that  Arthur  was  summoned  be- 
fore the  officers  in  charge. 

His  heart  fell  like  lead  when  he  found  there  a  score 
or  more  of  applicants  for  the  one  vacancy.  Three  days 
of  suspense — terrible  to  our  hero — in  which  he  learned 
for  the  first  time  that  money,  position  or  influence  did 
not  count  at  West  Point,  that  every  young  man  must 
stand  on  his  own  merits  to  win  or  fail — three  days  during 
which  he  scarcely  ate  or  slept — and  then  he  received  word 
that  he,  the  poorest,  most  dependent  of  them  all,  had 
gained  the  victory  over  his  competitors,  and  was  named 
as  the  successful  candidate. 


CORA,  THE   PET   OF   THE   REGIMENT.  15 

Two  days  later  Arthur  Rollins  was  duly  installed  as 
one  of  the  cadets  at  West  Point. 

Arthur  was  such  a  jovial  fellow  the  cadets  took  to  him 
at  once. 

"  You  are  just  in  time  for  the  grand  ball,"  they  de- 
clared ;  "  but,"  said  one  of  them,  confidentially,  "  let  me 
whisper  a  little  secret  in  your  ear,  Rollins.  You  already 
have  a  bitter  enemy  in  camp  in  Captain  Lindsay.  The 
story  of  your  bravery  in  saving  old  General  Ormsby's 
lovely  daughter  Cora  caused  quite  a  flutter  among  the 
cadets  here,  for  every  one  knows  how  romantic  little  love 
aflfairs  generally  spring  out  of  just  such  incidents,  and 
every  one  knows  that  Captain  Lindsay  is  over  head  and 
ears  in  love  with  the  bewitching  beauty.  Well,  the  up- 
shot of  the  matter  was,  some  of  the  boys  chaffed  the  cap- 
tain about  it.  He  turned  white  to  the  lips.  '  Let  the  fel- 
low have  a  care ! '  he  returned,  fiercely.  *  If  he  dare 
make  love  to  Cora  Ormsby,  it  will  be  war  to  the  knife 
between  us ! '  And,  to  make  the  matter  worse,  you 
will  be  under  his  command." 

Arthur  Rollins  threw  back  his  head  proudly. 

"If  we  are  to  be  rivals,  so  be  it,"  he  answered.  "  Cap- 
tain Lindsay  will  find  that  I  will  not  flinch.  Why  should 
I  deny  the  truth?  My  heart  went  out  to  the  general's 
daughter  at  first  sight.    I  will  win  her  if  I  can." 

"  You  had  better  go  about  it  slyly,"  said  one  of  the 
cadets ;  "  and  I  wouldn't  advise  you  to  dance  with  her  at 
the  ball." 

"  That  is  exactly  what  I  intend  to  do,  if  she  will  dance 
with  me,"  returned  Arthur,  spiritedly.  "  He  will  find 
me  a  man,  every  inch  of  me,  and  a  two-edged  sword 
which  he  had  better  not  fool  with." 

The  cadets  voted  that  Arthur  had  spunk  enough  to 


16  CORA,  THE   PET   OF  THE  REGIMENT. 

carry  him  through;  and  they  declared  that  they  would 
rather  see  Arthur  win  her  than  the  captain,  who  was 
purse-proud  and  cordially  detested  for  his  hauteur  and 
arrogance  by  every  cadet  in  the  academy. 

Every  young  cadet's  heart  beat  high,  for  there  was 
scarcely  one  of  them  but  expected  a  sweetheart  or  per- 
haps a  fiancee  at  the  ball. 

Two  pairs  of  eyes  eagerly  scanned  the  faces  of  the 
hundreds  of  visitors. 

"  Cora  is  not  here,"  muttered  Captain  Lindsay. 

"  She  is  not  here,"  said  Arthur  to  himself. 

In  the  hearts  of  both  men  flashed  the  thought  that  she 
would  be  sure  to  be  at  the  ball  later  on. 

At  the  grand  mansion  of  General  Ormsby,  scarcely 
ten  minutes'  walk  distant,  just  this  side  of  the  village 
of  Cranstons,  in  an  upper  room  dainty  as  any  princess's 
boudoir  could  be,  Cora  Ormsby  sat  in  a  velvet  arm-chair, 
sobbing  as  though  her  heart  would  break.  She  could  hear 
the  far-off  sound  of  the  bugle,  the  drum,  and  the  fife,  and 
the  sound  made  the  blood  leap  through  the  girl's  veins 
like  wine. 

"  It's  a  shame  that  I  can't  go  and  see  the  drill,"  sobbed 
the  girl,  clinching  her  little  white  hands,  "  and  can  not 
go  to  the  ball  in  the  evening,  when  I  would  give  anything 
in  the  world  to  be  there !  "  and  again  her  voice  was 
choken  with  a  torrent  of  sobs. 

There  was  a  light  tap  on  the  door,  and  the  next  mo- 
ment Frankie  Belknap — Cora's  school  chum — ^burst  hur- 
riedly into  the  room. 

"Why,  what  is  it  I  hear,  Cora?"  cried  her  friend, 
clasping  Cora  in  her  arms  with  a  resounding  smack. 
"  Ain't  you  really  going  to  the  great  military  ball  to- 
night?" 


CORA,   THE   PET   OF  THE   REGIMENT.  17 

The  general's  daughter  shook  her  head. 

"  Why,  how  is  that  ?  "  cried  Frankie,  in  amazement. 
"  You'd  be  the  belle  of  the  ball,  I  am  sure." 

"  Papa  was  suddenly  called  away  on  business  the  very 
day  after  I  spoke  to  him  about  the  ball,  and,  of  course,  I 
was  left  in  charge  of  mean,  prim  old  Miss  Bitterwood, 
the  housekeeper  here.  She  knew  very  well  where  papa 
had  gone,  and  that  he  wasn't  expected  back  for  a  month. 
She  must  have  known  it,  for  he  had  a  long  talk  with 
her,  the  servants  said,  an  hour  or  more  before  he  started. 
That  was  in  the  morning,  before  I  was  up.  Every  time  I 
asked  her  about  when  papa  was  to  return,  she  put  me 
off  with  some  evasive  answer.  At  last  she  came  boldly 
out  and  told  me  papa  had  left  word  that  I  must  not  go 
to  that  ball  under  any  circumstance.  Now,  I  don't  be- 
lieve he  told  her  that;  he  would  not  have  been  so  cruel 
when  he  knew  I  had  set  my  heart  on  it." 

"  I  don't  believe  he  did  either,"  declared  Frankie,  im- 
patiently. "  Mean  old  Miss  Bitterwood  only  wants  to 
tyrannize  over  you,  simply  because  you  are  left  in  her 
charge  and  she  has  the  power." 

"  I  am  sure  of  it,"  sobbed  Cora,  crying  as  though  her 
heart  would  break. 

"  I  am  going,  and  when  I'm  dancing  and  having  the 
grandest  time  in  the  world,  I'll  think  of  you  buried  up  in 
this  lonesome  old  house.  All  the  cadets  will  be  asking 
for  you,  so  will  that  handsome  young  fellow  who  saved 
your  life.    Shall  I  take  any  message  from  you  to  him  ?  " 


18  CORA,  THE  PET  OF  THE  REGIMENT. 

CHAPTER  III. 

THE  CADETS  GAY  BALL  AND  ITS  FATAL  ENDING. 

The  June  evening  was  drawing  to  a  close ;  for  an  hour 
or  more  after  her  friend,  Frankie  Belknap,  had  left  her, 
Cora  sat  by  the  open  window,  leaning  her  golden  curly- 
head  on  her  white  arms,  sobbing  as  though  her  heart 
would  break. 

The  sun  went  down  and  the  dusk  crept  up;  one  by 
one  the  stars  fixed  themselves  in  the  blue  sky  overhead, 
and  a  new  moon,  like  a  bright  jewel,  was  peeping  over  the 
tall  beech-trees  that  lined  the  grounds  which  surrounded 
Ormsby  Villa. 

The  music  had  ceased.  Cora  knew  that  the  cadets  were 
by  that  time  in  the  mess-room. 

In  a  little  while  the  ball  would  open,  and  then — oh,  the 
torture  of  it! — the  grand  march  would  begin — the  hand- 
some young  cadets  would  soon  be  whirling  away  to  the 
mad,  merry  mazes  of  the  dance,  Cora  could  picture  it 
vividly.  Ah!  there  it  was!  The  music  struck  up.  The 
wind  was  blowing  in  the  direction  of  the  villa.  She  could 
hear  it,  and  all  the  fire  in  the  girl's  nature  swept  through 
her  heart. 

The  general's  daughter  sprung  to  her  feet,  her  heart 
beating,  every  pulse  in  her  body  throbbing  to  the  measure 
of  the  music  in  intense  excitement. 

"  Because  she  is  too  old  to  enjoy  herself,  why  should 
she  prevent  me  from  going?  "  panted  Cora.  "  It  is  not 
right." 

She  caught  up  a  light  scarf,  and,  throwing  it  over  her 
disordered  curls,  stole  noiselessly  from  the  house. 

She  had  no  idea  of  entering  the  ball-room,  though  the 


CORA^  THE  PET  OF  THE  REGIMENT.  19 

white  lawn  dress,  dotted  here  and  there  with  blue  corn 
flowers,  and  wide  blue  silk  sash,  which  girdled  her  slen- 
der waist,  which  was  her  every-day  apparel,  was  certainly 
as  sweet  and  dainty  as  many  of  the  girls  would  wear  to 
the  ball  as  their  best  finery. 

But  Cora  never  dreamed  that  any  one  would  see  her 
as  she  hurried  down  the  long  sloping  hill  and  along  the 
road,  reaching  the  scene  of  the  festivities  quite  breathless 
ten  minutes  later,  just  as  the  band  struck  up  another  be- 
wildering waltz. 

A  few  minutes'  uphill  walk,  and  the  road  turned  to 
the  left  near  the  top  of  the  bluff. 

Before  her  was  the  long,  gray,  massive  facade  of  the 
riding-hall ;  another  climb,  and  Cora  crept  into  the  foot- 
path, up  the  steep  and  rounded  terrace. 

Directly  ahead  of  her,  its  great  windows  brilliantly 
lighted,  was  the  gray  stone  structure,  with  its  arched 
door-way  and  broad  flight  of  steps  in  the  center,  in  which 
they  were  giving  the  grand  ball,  the  music  floating  out  to 
her  in  bewildering  strains. 

The  girl  had  scarcely  proceeded  a  dozen  steps  ere  the 
command  "  Halt ! "  fell  suddenly  upon  her  startled  ear, 
and  the  next  moment  a  sentry  stepped  quickly  before  her 
from  out  the  shadow  of  the  trees. 

"  Oh,  how  you  frightened  me !  "  cried  Cora.  "  I — I 
only  want  to  look  in  at  the  ball.  I  don't  want  to  go  in 
and  dance.  Of  course,  you  don't  know  me,  but  I'll  tell 
you  who  I  am — I  am  General  Ormsby's  daughter." 

The  sentry  did  not  need  to  be  told  that.  With  a  little 
surprised  cry,  the  handsome  cadet  had  dropped  back. 

"  Miss  Ormsby !  "  he  cried,  hoarsely.  "  Is  this  indeed 
you?  I — I  was  just  thinking  about  you,  wondering  if  you 
were  inside  among  that  gay  throng,  enjoying  yourself. 


30  CORA,  THE   PET   OF  THE   REGIMENT. 

Don't  you  know  me  ?  "  he  cried,  bending  eagerly  forward, 
raising  his  cap  with  one  hand  and  extending  the  other, 

"  Oh,  you  couldn't  be — Arthur — Mr.  Rollins !  "  cried 
Cora,  her  girlish  heart  all  in  a  flutter. 

"  You  have  guessed  my  identity,"  he  answered.  "  I 
had  no  idea  that  you  would  recognize  me,  even  if  fate  let 
me  meet  you  again." 

"  Why  not  ?  "  asked  the  girl,  promptly.  She  did  not 
add  that  she  had  thought  of,  dreamed  of  no  other  face 
but  his  since  the  moment  they  had  first  met,  that,  awake 
or  sleeping,  she  had  thought  of  no  one  else  but  him.  But 
before  he  had  time  to  answer,  she  added,  quickly :  "  Why 
are  you  a  sentry  out  here,  instead  of  enjoying  yourself 
midst  the  lights  and  music  of  the  ball-room  inside  ?  " 

An  angry  flush  crossed  his  face,  and  his  dark  eyes 
flashed. 

"  It  is  the  work  of  the  captain  in  command  to  keep 
me  outside  so  that  I  could  not  enjoy  the  ball,  and  I  like 
dancing  so  much !  " 

"  How  shameful !  "  cried  Cora,  indignantly.  "  I  was 
kept  away  from  the  ball,  too,  and  I  like  dancing  quite 
as  much  as  you  do.  Why,  the  music  fairly  turned  my 
brain.  I  could  not  keep  away.  Will  you  promise  never 
to  betray  my  secret  if  I  tell  it  to  you?  " 

"  Yes,"  he  added,  earnestly ;  "  I  would  never  divulge 
anything  you  might  say  to  me,  though  the  whole  army, 
with  drawn  swords,  commanded  me  .to  do  so !  " 

"  Well,  then,  I  stole  away  from  the  house  to  come  here, 
though  Miss  Bitterwood  commanded  me  not  to  leave  my 
room  until  she  gave  me  leave  to  do  so.  Papa  is  away, 
you  know,  and  I  am  left  in  her  charge.  When  I  ran  out 
of  the  house  I  made  up  my  mind  to  tell  papa  immediately 
upon  his  return;  but, it  was  not  until  I  was  quite  here 


CORA,  THE   PET   OF  THE  REGIMENT.  21 

that  I  realized  how  bitterly  angry  he  would  be.  If  he 
should  take  it  into  his  head  that  I  had  willfully  disobeyed 
a  command  which  he  had  left  with  Miss  Bitterwood,  he 
would  never  forgive  me.  Promise  that  you  will  never 
reveal  that  I  have  come  here  to-night !  " 

"  I  promise,"  returned  Arthur,  solemnly,  "  You  can 
trust  me ;  I  would  give  my  life  rather  than  betray  you !  " 

"  Oh,  there  is  that  heavenly  waltz  again !  "  cried  the 
girl,  enthusiastically,  clasping  her  hands  in  delight. 
"  Imagine  this  green  velvet  turf  a  smoothly  waxed  floor, 
and  we  gliding  over  it  to  the  mad,  merry  music  of  the 
waltz !    Oh,  I  would  give  anything  for  just  one  dance !  " 

"  Would  you  ?  "  cried  the  young  cadet,  dropping  his 
musket — forgetting  ever^lihing  in  his  bewilderment  save 
the  presence  of  the  gloriously  beautiful  young  girl  before 
him,  with  her  fair,  sweet  face,  so  radiant  in  the  golden 
starlight,  turned  eagerly  up  to  his. 

He  forgot  he  was  a  soldier — a  sentry  on  duty — forgot 
everything  save  the  mad  ecstasy  of  the  moment. 

"  Would  you  really  care  so  much  for  a  little  waltz  ?  '* 
he  whispered. 

She  nodded  her  curly  golden  head,  and  a  great  sigh 
broke  from  the  cherry-ripe  lips.  Almost  before  she  was 
aware  of  it,  for  the  second  time  in  her  life  the  same  strong 
arms  encircled  her;  the  sweet,  entrancing  strains  burst 
forth  with  a  flood  of  melody  that  fairly  intoxicated  her 
senses,  and  the  next  instant  over  the  velvety  sward  they 
glided  to  the  gay  measures  of  the  "  Bonny  Bells  of  Scot- 
land." 

"  I  wish  this  waltz  could  last  forever !  "  breathed  the 
young  cadet,  holding  the  girl  closer.    "  Don't  you?  " 

"  Yes,"  whispered  the  general's  daughter.    "  It's  quite 


22  CORA,  THE   PET   OF  THE  REGIMENT. 

as  nice  as  though  we  were  in  the  ball-room  with  the 
rest." 

"  A  thousand  times  nicer,"  declared  Arthur.  "  It  must 
have  been  fate  that  made  us  both  meet  here  so  unex- 
pectedly. I  have  longed  so  much  to  see  you  just  once 
more,  to  tell  you " 

The  sentence  never  was  finished. 

"  Halt  I  "  came  the  command,  in  a  voice  hoarse  and 
furious  with  passion,  and  Captain  Lindsay  appeared  sud- 
denly upon  the  scene. 

The  word  struck  a  terror  to  the  hearts  of  the  two  who 
were  dancing  gayly  across  the  greensward,  under  the  light 
of  the  moon. 

A  gasp  of  dismay  broke  from  the  lips  of  Arthur 
Rollins,  and,  simultaneously,  a  cry  of  terror  from  the 
girl. 

"  Do  not  betray  me !  "  she  gasped ;  and  in  a  flash  she 
had  torn  her  white  hands  from  his  clasp,  and  darted  like 
a  terrified  fawn  across  the  moonlit  space,  and  was  lost 
in  a  trice  amid  the  shadows  of  the  overarching  trees. 

"  Who  was  that?"  thundered  the  captain  in  a  terrible 
voice. 

"  A  young  lady,  sir,"  responded  Arthur,  huskily. 

"  I  was  well  aware  of  that.  I  asked  who  that  young 
lady  was,  and  what  brought  her  here !  " 

"  I  decline  to  answer,"  returned  Arthur,  raising  his 
head  proudly,  and  looking  his  superior  officer  full  in  the 
face. 

"  Do  you  dare  defy  me  ? "  yelled  the  captain,  fairly 
quivering  with  rage.  Even  in  the  faint  moonlight  Arthur 
could  see  that  his  face  was  distorted  and  livid,  while 
flecks  of  foam  stood  out  on  his  lips,  so  intense  was  his 
terrible  passion.     "  I  will  wring  it  from  your  lips,"  he 


CORA,  THE  PET  OF  THE  REGIMENT.  23 

cried.  "  You,  a  sentry,  deserted  your  post !  You  shall 
be  court-martialed  for  this — drummed  out  of  West  Point 
in  disgrace !  " 

"  I  am  willing  to  stand  the  trial,  sir,"  returned  Arthur, 
white  to  the  lips. 

His  retort  only  maddened  the  captain  the  more. 

"  You  are  insolent ! "  he  cried ;  "  but  you  shall  suffer 
for  that  as  well !  So  you  will  not  tell  who  the  girl  was, 
eh  ?  Report  at  once  to  the  adjutant  at  head-quarters.  I 
shall  find  out  for  myself  who  it  was !  " 

Captain  Lindsay  made  a  dash  in  the  direction  which 
Cora  had  taken. 

Arthur's  bayonet  brought  him  to  a  quick  standstill. 
It  was  his  turn  to  cry  "  Halt !  " 

"  Not  one  step !  "  cried  Arthur.  "  You  shall  not  pursue 
that  girl.  You  shall  not  cross  this  lawn,  except  over  my 
dead  body !  " 

For  an  instant  the  word  seemed  to  electrify  the  cap- 
tain ;  but  quick  as  a  flash  he  recovered  himself  and  sprung 
forward,  throwing  himself  with  all  his  weight  upon 
Arthur. 

The  attack  was  so  sudden  and  so  unexpected  that  the 
bayonet  fell  from  Arthur's  hands,  and  at  that  instant  the 
captain's  saber  flashed  in  the  moonlight,  and  he  made  a 
lunge  at  the  unarmed  cadet's  heart. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

The  sword  with  which  Captain  Lindsay  lunged  directly 
at  Arthur  Rollins'  heart  never  reached  its  mark,  for, 
quick  as  a  flash,  the  young  cadet  caught  the  upraised  arm 


24  CORA,  THE   PET   OF  THE   REGIMENT. 

and  sent  the  weapon  whirling  from  his  hand.  The  next 
instant  they  had  closed  in  mortal  combat.  Back  and  for- 
ward over  the  greensward  they  swayed  to  and  fro,  like 
strong  oaks  bent  by  a  whirlwind. 

For  the  first  time  in  his  life  Captain  Lindsay,  who  was 
an  expert  athlete,  found  that  he  had  met  his  match. 

With  one  supreme  effort  Arthur  threw  him  from  him. 

"  Go !  "  he  said,  scornfully,  and  the  captain  was  not 
slow  to  take  advantage  of  the  opportunity. 

"  You  shall  answer  for  this !  "  he  hissed,  as  he  gathered 
himself  together  and  picked  up  his  sword. 

"  I  am  at  your  service  at  any  time,"  returned  Arthur, 
coolly. 

In  another  instant  his  adversary  was  lost  among  the 
shadow  of  the  trees. 

What  Captain  Lindsay  would  do  the  young  cadet  had 
not  the  least  idea. 

Slowly  he  resumed  his  pace  up  and  down.  He  had 
threatened  him  with  arrest  and  court-martial.  Well, 
come  what  might,  he  would  never  betray  Cora;  they 
might  pierce  him  with  bayonets,  torture  him  on  the  rack, 
but  they  could  never  tear  from  his  lips  the  secret  that 
would  go  down  to  the  grave  with  him.  Then,  pacing 
up  and  down,  he  quite  forgot  his  recent  encounter  with 
Captain  Lindsay,  in  living  over  again  the  happy  event 
which  had  caused  it. 

What  a  sweet  little  fairy  she  was!  If  he  had  been  in 
love  with  her  before  he  was  doubly  infatuated  with  her 
now.  Those  eyes  bright  as  stars — a  thousand  times 
brighter  than  those  which  beamed  above  their  head — 
had  shot  love's  fatal  dart  straight  through  his  heart. 

She  was  an  heiress  and  a  great  general's  daughter,  while 
he  was  a  mere  nobody,  with  fame  and  fortune  all  to  make. 


CORA,  THE   PET   OF   THE  REGIMENT.  25 

Was  it  not  madness  to  think  of  her?  He  told  himself 
that  the  first  great  lesson  of  his  life  must  be  to  try  to 
forget  her.  She  was  getting  to  have  too  much  of  a  hold 
on  his  thoughts. 

Meanwhile,  Cora  had  fled  homeward  panting  with  ter- 
ror. 

When  she  arrived  at  her  home  she  found  the  inhabitants 
of  the  villa  in  great  commotion.  What  could  have  hap- 
pened, she  wondered,  standing  quite  still  in  great  affright. 

She  could  see  lights  flashing  to  and  fro ;  had  her  father 
ccme  home,  and  had  anything  happened  to  him?  Her 
heart  stood  quite  still. 

Quaking  with  horrible  dread,  Cora  crept  up  to  the 
porclf;  the  door  was  unfastened,  just  as  she  had  left  it, 
and  no  one  saw  her  as  she  glided  into  the  entrance-hall 
and  up  the  broad  oaken  stair-way  to  the  corridor  above. 
She  had  scarcely  reached  her  room  ere  she  heard  quick 
footsteps.     It  was  Miss  Bitterwood,  the  housekeeper. 

"  I  have  been  looking  for  you  everywhere,  Cora,"  she 
said,  sharply ;  "  where  have  you  been  ?  " 

"  Out  enjoying  the  moonlight,"  answered  the  girl,  hang- 
ing her  head,  a  bright  spot  burning  on  either  cheek. 

"  Humph !  "  exclaimed  the  housekeeper.  "  You  had 
little  to  do,  roaming  out  in  the  grounds  by  yourself. 
Your  father  sent  me  in  search  of  you,  and  a  pretty  time 
I  have  had  hunting  you  through  the  house." 

"  Oh,  papa  has  got  home,  then  ?  "  cried  Cora,  joyously, 
bounding  like  a  deer  toward  the  door. 

"  Yes ;  he  is  in  the  library ;  but  I  want  to  tell  you  some- 
thing before  you  go  down." 

The  girl  started.  A  guilty  conscience  needed  no  ac- 
cuser. A  burning  flush  swept  over  her  face,  her  hands 
trembled. 


36  CORA,   THE   PET   OF   THE  REGIMENT. 

"  Your  father  is  not  alone,"  continued  Miss  Bitter- 
wood.    "  There  is  a  stranger  with  him — a  lady." 

"  A  lady  ?  "  repeated  Cora,  in  amazement  too  great  for 
words.  "  Why,  who  do  you  suppose  it  can  be.  Miss  Bit- 
terwood  ?  " 

"  That  we  shall  soon  know,"  said  the  housekeeper,  add- 
ing :  "  What  would  you  say  if  you  thought  your  father 
was  bringing  home  a  bride  ?  " 

"  I  would  leave  this  roof  this  very  hour !  "  cried  the 
girl,  imperiously.  "  I  shall  not  go  down.  Miss  Bitter- 
wood,  until  you  find  out  who  is  down  there  with  my 
father !  " 

"  But  he  is  calling  for  you,"  said  the  housekeeper. 
"  You  must  go  down.    Come,  I  will  go  with  you." 

"  No !  "  cried  Cora,  in  affright.  "  You  must  find  out 
who  it  is  with  papa,  or,  better  still,  tell  him  to  come  up 
here  to  me.    I  must  see  him." 

The  housekeeper  shook  her  head. 

"  If  there  are  any  battles  to  be  fought,  one  might  as 
well  face  them  first  as  last,"  she  said.  "  Be  brave,  and 
come  right  along." 

Trembling  with  apprehension,  Cora  allowed  herself  to 
be  taken  down  to  the  library.  She  clung  close  to  the 
housekeeper. 

"  You  must  go  in  alone,"  she  said. 

And  before  Cora  was  aware  of  her  intention,  she  had 
opened  the  door  and  had  fairly  thrust  her  in,  closing 
it  quickly  after  her. 

"  My  dear  little  Cora ! "  cried  the  general,  springing 
forward  and  clasping  her  in  her  arms,  "  I  am  so  glad 
to  see  you  once  again.  It  seems  an  age  since  I  have 
looked  upon  your  face ! " 

Cora  kissed  her  father,  then  she  looked  past  him  ap- 


CORA,   THE   PET   OF  THE   REGIMENT.  27 

prehensively  toward  the  veiled  figure  in  the  velvet  chair 
opposite. 

"  Lyle,"  said  the  general,  turning  toward  the  slim 
figure,  "  this  is  my  daughter  Cora,  of  whom  you  have 
heard  me  speak.  Bless  me,  how  awkwardly  I  am  getting 
at  this  matter !  "  cried  the  general.  "  This  is  Miss  Lyle 
Warner,  my  ward,  Cora — Lyle,  this  is  my  daughter." 

Her  father's  ward! 

Had  her  ears  deceived  her? 

The  stranger  threw  back  her  veil,  and  Cora  saw  stand- 
ing before  her  the  most  beautiful  girl  she  had  ever  be- 
held in  all  her  life — a  girl  of  about  her  own  age,  a  little 
taller  and  slenderer,  perhaps,  with  a  wealth  of  blue-black, 
curling  hair,  a  face  like  a  wild  red  rose,  cheeks  like  the 
crimson  heart  of  a  pomegranate  blossom,  cherry-ripe  lips, 
and  eyes  black  and  luminous  as  midnight  stars. 

"  Your  ward,  papa !  "  gasped  the  daughter,  looking  in 
bewilderment  at  the  lovely  young  stranger. 

"  Yes,"  he  answered,  looking  very  strange  and  uncom- 
fortable ;  "  that  is  the  business  that  took  me  to  the  city. 
I  can  not  explain  it  to  you  now.  I  want  you  and  Lyle 
to  take  to  each  other,  and  become  the  best  of  friends. 
She  is  to  make  her  home  with  us,  and  share  all  your 
pleasures  with  you." 

The  beauty  smiled,  disclosing  a  row  of  pearly  teeth. 

"  We  are  sure  to  be  friends,"  she  said.  "  I  have  heard 
so  much  about  you,  Cora,  that  it  seems  as  though  I  al- 
ready knew  you." 

Cora  Ormsby  did  not  feel  quite  sure  of  this.  The  face 
smiling  down  into  her  own  was  as  beautiful  as  a  dream, 
but  there  was  something  about  the  stranger  that  struck 
a  chill  to  her  heart,  she  could  not  tell  why. 

"  Take  Lyle  up  to  your  room,  my  dear,"  said  the  gen- 


28  CORA^  THE  PET  OF  THE  REGIMENT. 

eral,  turning  to  his  daughter.  "  She  will  occupy  your 
apartments  with  you  to-night.  To-morrow  we  will  get 
the  western  wing  ready  for  her,  or  any  other  suite  of 
rooms  in  the  house  that  she  fancies." 

The  words  sounded  strange  to  his  daughter's  ears. 

Together  the  two  girls  quitted  the  library  and  went 
slowly  to  Cora's  room. 

"  Oh,  what  a  beautiful  boudoir! "  cried  the  girl,  as  she 
followed  Cora  into  the  dainty  blue  and  gold  apartment. 
"  Why,  this  is  a  veritable  fairy  bower,"  she  added,  sink- 
ing into  the  seat  which  Cora  indicated.  "  I  never  for  a 
moment  dreamed  that  General  Ormsby's  home  was  as 
magnificent  as  this,  and  I  did  not  know  that  you  were 
a  young  lady.    He  always  spoke  of  you  as  a  child." 

"  This  is  my  birthday,  I  am  seventeen  to-day,"  said 
Cora,  quietly ;  "  but  tell  me,"  she  added,  "  how  it  hap- 
pened that  you  are  my  father's  ward?  I — I  never  heard 
of  it  before." 

Lyle's  face  flushed  crimson. 

"  Perhaps  it  would  be  better  for  your  father  to  tell 
you  all  about  it,"  she  said,  constrainedly.  "  No  doubt 
he  will  do  so  to-morrow." 

During  the  half-hour's  conversation  that  followed  she 
seemed  eager  to  learn  all  that  she  could  concerning  Cora's 
and  the  general's  affairs,  but  was  reticent  in  regard  to 
her  own. 

"  Perhaps  you  would  prefer  to  have  this  room  all  by 
yourself  to-night  if  you  are  tired,"  said  Cora.  "  I  think 
I  will  share  the  housekeeper's  apartment  for  to-night." 

"  Please  yourself,"  said  Lyle. 

"  I  will  send  a  maid  to  you  to  see  that  you  have  every- 
thing that  you  require." 


CORA,  THE  PET  OF  THE  REGIMENT.  29 

"  Thanks ;  you  are  very  kind,"  was  the  answer.  Bid- 
ding her  "  good-night,"  Cora  left  the  room,  and  the 
stranger  was  in  possession  of  Cora's  beautiful  boudoir. 


CHAPTER  V. 


There  was  a  low  tap  at  the  door  at  that  instant.  The 
girl  started.  No  doubt  it  was  the  maid  whom  the  gen- 
eral's daughter  said  she  would  send  to  her. 

"  Come  in,"  she  drawled,  wearily. 

Instead  of  the  maid  whom  she  expected  to  see.  Miss 
Bitterwood,  the  housekeeper,  stepped  quietly  into  the 
room. 

"  Hush !  "  she  said,  as  the  girl  was  about  to  speak. 
"  Walls  have  ears ;  speak  low.  No  one  must  know  that 
we  have  ever  met  before." 

"  You  have  warned  me  about  that  so  many  times  that 
it  is  not  necessary  to  go  over  the  ground  again,  I  should 
fancy." 

"  It  takes  a  great  deal  to  drill  a  thing  into  your  mind," 
answered  the  woman,  contracting  her  brow  into  a  heavy 
frown.  "  For  years  it  has  been  the  one  dream  of  my 
life  to  see  you  sitting  where  you  are  to-night.  Now  it 
only  remains  for  you  to  play  yours  cards  well  to  become 
mistress  of  this  magnificent  house  and  the  fortune  of 
General  Ormsby." 

"  It  would  take  a  pretty  good  fortune  to  make  me 
marry  an  old  gray-beard  like  that,  Aunt  Bitterwood," 
said  the  girl.  "  You  kept  his  age  from  me ;  you  cheated 
me  into  the  belief  that  he  was  a  much  younger  man  than 
what  I  find  him.    He  is  old  and  baldheaded." 


30  CORA,  THE  PET  OF  THE  REGIMENT. 

"  I  am  trying  to  get  a  grand  home  for  you,  you  silly 
girl,  and  the  time  will  come  when  you  will  see  what 
I  am  doing  for  you,  you  ungrateful  hussy !  I  haven't  the 
least  doubt  but  that  you'd  be  infinitely  more  pleased  to 
get  some  ten-dollar-a-week  clerk,  to  wash  and  bake  and 
scrub  for  him;  but  after  four  or  five  years  of  it  your 
eyes  would  be  opened.  Love  doesn't  last  long  when  a 
woman  has  to  pitch  in  and  work  hard  for  a  man.  Then 
you  would  cry  out,  '  Heavens !  why  didn't  I  marry  a  rich 
man?'" 

"  What  a  sordid  old  woman  you  are !  "  cried  the  niece. 
"  No  wonder  you  never  married,  or  that  no  one  ever  fell 
in  love  with  you !  "  twitted  the  girl. 

"  I  could  have  married  many  and  many  a  time,  if  I  had 
wanted  to  take  a  poor  man,"  declared  Miss  Bitterwood, 
grimly ;  "  but  I  was  no  such  fool  as  that." 

"  I  suppose  you  endeavored  all  these  years  to  get  Gen- 
eral Ormsby,  and  when  you  found  out,  after  trying,  that 
you  had  been  on  a  fool's  errand,  then  you  want  me  to 
attempt  it." 

The  elder  woman  flushed,  and  the  girl  well  knew  that 
her  random  remark  had  hit  hard. 

"  We  will  talk  on  this  subject  to-morrow ;  but  I  warn 
you,  if  you  want  to  get  along  with  the  general,  to  sway 
his  heart  and  get  his  millions,  you  want  to  keep  in  with 
the  daughter." 

"  I  already  see  that  will  be  an  impossibility,  and  I 
haven't  been  under  this  roof  an  hour.  We  will  clash  at 
every  point,  I  am  sure.  But,  laying  all  business  aside  in 
our  conversation,  isn't  this  a  beautiful  room,  aunt?  Its 
furnishings  must  have  cost  a  small  fortune !  " 

"  You  won't  find  many  to  equal  it.  Every  apartment 
in  the  mansion  is  furnished  on  the  same  grand  scale.    All 


CORA,  THE  PET  OF  THE  REGIMENT.  31 

this  goes  to  the  daughter,  providing  the  general  does  not 
marry  again.  It  is  late  now;  you  must  retire,  so  I  will 
leave  you.    Now,  think  well  over  what  I  have  said." 

A  moment  more  and  the  door  closed  after  the  tall, 
angular  form,  and  once  more  the  girl  found  herself 
alone. 

"  It  is  indeed  a  grand  thing  to  be  rich,"  she  murmured ; 
"  but  in  this  case  the  sacrifice  is  almost  too  great.  What 
a  strange  thing  it  is  that  Fate  changes  our  destiny  even 
in  a  day.  If  we  hadn't  stopped  on  our  way  from  the 
depot  to-night,  to  look  in  at  the  grand  ball  the  cadets 
were  giving,  and  I  had  not  met  that  young  man,  my  heart 
would  have  been  untouched ;  but  somehow,  at  the  very 
first  sound  of  his  voice,  I  realized  that  he  was  my  affinity. 
How  brave  and  handsome  he  looked  standing  there  in  the 
moonlight !  I  wouldn't  care  how  poor  he  was,  I'd  rather 
marry  him,  and  live  on  a  crust  of  bread,  than  to  wed  this 
old  gray-beard,  with  all  his  millions !  I  did  not  catch  the 
name  when  the  general  introduced  him,  and  I  was  afraid 
to  speak  of  it  again,  to  let  him  see  how  much  interest  I 
had  taken  in  the  young  man. 

"  Ah !  but  he  was  so  handsome,  so  kingly !  If  there  is 
such  a  thing  as  people  realizing  when  they  meet  the  one 
intended  for  them,  I  should  say  that  he  is  mine. 

"  My  aunt  always  told  me  that,  with  a  face  as  beau- 
tiful as  mine,  I  should  make  my  fortune.  I  always 
thought  that  perhaps  I  could,  if  an  opportunity  were 
given  me,  and  now  the  chance  is  mine  at  last.  No,  in- 
deed, let  aunt  coax  as  much  as  she  may,  I  shall  not  marry 
that  horrid  old  gray-beard  until  I  see  if  I  can  not  capture 
that  handsome  young  fellow  first. 

"  How  angry  I  am  that  I  did  not  come  here  a  week  ago, 
and  get  a  chance  to  attend  the  cadets'  grand  ball. 


32  CORA,  THE   PET   OF  THE  REGIMENT. 

"  I  am  glad  I  didn't  marry  any  one  of  the  poor  clerks 
who  were  sighing  for  me,  and  almost  fighting  duels.  I 
was  intended  for  luxury,  never  for  a  poor  man's  wife. 

"  But  I  must  not  forget  to  make  myself  very  agreeable 
to  the  old  gentleman,  in  order  to  be  permitted  to  stay 
here,  where  I  can  see  him.  If  he  once  found  out  the 
interest  I  have  taken  in  this  handsome  cadet,  it  would 
be  bad  for  me — he  would  take  no  more  interest  in  me." 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Cora  was  up  with  the  sun  the  next  morning.  As  soon 
as  she  had  arranged  her  simple  toilet  she  hurried  down  to 
the  dining-room,  where  she  knew  she  would  find  her 
father. 

The  general  was  there  with  his  papers. 

"  Oh,  papa !  "  cried  Cora,  springing  into  his  arms, 
"  how  glad  I  am  to  find  you  home  once  more.  The  old 
house  has  been  almost  like  a  prison  since  you've  been 
away.  I  have  actually  counted  the  hours  until  you 
would  return." 

"  Have  you  missed  me  so  much,  little  girl  ?  "  he  asked, 
stroking  the  golden  head. 

"  More  than  tongue  can  tell,"  returned  Cora. 

The  general  had  not  been  reading  his  paper  that  morn- 
ing. He  had  been  standing  by  the  window  engaged  in 
deep  thought.  He  had  been  wondering  what  Cora  would 
say  if  she  knew  that  he  had  proposed  marriage  to  the 
beautiful  young  girl  he  had  brought  to  the  villa  the 
evening  before.    He  was  wondering  how  he  should  find 


CORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT.  33 

words  to  disclose  it  when  the  inevitable  hour  for  making 
it  known  should  come. 

Lyle  had  asked  him  to  keep  it  a  secret  for  a  little  while, 
and  he  must  obey  her  wishes.  When  he  told  his  daugh- 
ter, perhaps  there  would  be  a  little  scene,  a  few  tears,  but 
it  would  end  by  her  accepting  the  inevitable,  and  in  time 
she  would  love  the  beautiful  dark-eyed  Lyle. 

She  was  so  sweet,  so  charming,  that  he  did  not  see 
how  his  daughter  could  help  it.  She  could  not  find  any 
fault  with  her,  unless  it  might  be  her  youth.  She  was 
only  a  year  or  so  older  than  Qjra  herself.  He  knew  that 
she  would  say: 

"  Why,  papa,  you  must  be  mad !  She  is  young  enough 
to  be  your  granddaughter !  " 

But  he  would  defend  his  position  by  saying  he  was  not 
the  first  man  by  any  means  who  had  taken  unto  himself 
a  young  wife. 

"  When  a  widower  marries,  why  should  he  wish  to 
wed  gray  hairs  and  wrinkles  when  his  heart  is  as  young 
as  ever  ?  "  he  queried. 

Suddenly,  in  the  midst  of  his  reverie,  he  remembered 
that  his  daughter  was  speaking  to  him. 

"  What  is  it  you  say,  Cora  ?  "  he  asked,  straightening 
himself  up  and  paying  close  attention. 

"  I  was  asking  how  in  the  world,  papa,  it  happened 
that  you  had  a  ward  and  I  never  knew  the  existence  of 
her." 

She  saw  his  face  flush.  He  coughed  uneasily,  the 
morning  paper  rattled  nervously  in  his  grasp. 

"  Why,  the  fact  is,"  said  the  general,  slowly,  "  a  few 
weeks  ago  I  received  a  letter  from  a  young  girl  down  in 
the  city,  stating  that  she  had  just  been  left  an  orphan, 
with  a  small  fortune,  and  she  asked  my  advice  as  to  how 


34  CORA,   THE   PET   OF   THE   REGIMENT. 

to  invest  it,  requesting  me  to  keep  her  communication  a 
secret  from  every  one.  Her  father  had  been  an  army 
officer,  she  went  on  to  say,  and  she  had  heard  my  name 
so  often  upon  his  lips  that  it  did  not  seem  to  her  that  she 
was  a  stranger  to  me.  She  believed  my  advice  would 
be  straight  from  the  heart,  and  she  could  put  full  con- 
fidence in  me. 

"  I  answered  her  letter  in  accordance  with  her  request, 
and  thought  no  more  about  the  matter.  Soon  after  I 
received  a  telegram  from  this  young  girl,  asking  me  to 
please  come  to  the  city  at  once  to  advise  with  her,  as  she 
was  in  great  distress. 

"  It  so  happened  that  I  had  an  important  business  en- 
gagement in  New  York,  and  thinking  that  I  could  kill 
two  birds  with  one  stone,  I  took  the  next  train.  I  went 
to  the  address  indicated.  It  was  a  boarding-house.  I 
confess,  my  dear,  that  I  was  shocked  at  the  vision  of 
girlish  loveliness  that  came  into  the  meagerly  furnished 
parlor  to  greet  me. 

" '  Oh,  General  Ormsby,'  she  sobbed,  putting  out  her 
hands,  '  how  good  of  you  to  come !  But  how  can  I  ever 
tell  you  what  has  happened  ?  ' 

"  *  You  had  better  get  at  the  root  of  it  at  once,  my  dear 
child,'  I  suggested,  a  little  bluntly,  perhaps. 

"  Between  tears  and  sobs  I  drew  the  truth  from  her 
at  last.  She  had  been  inveigled  by  some  swindling  ad- 
vertisement to  invest  all  of  her  little  fortune  in  a  lottery 
scheme.  She  had  drawn  a  blank.  In  a  twinkling  every- 
thing she  had  on  earth  was  swept  from  her.  Oh,  how  she 
wept!  And  you  know  I  could  never  stand  a  woman's 
tears.  I  would  rather  face  a  whole  regiment  of  soldiers 
with  drawn  swords. 

" '  I  do  wish  that  I  had  put  the  money  in  your  hands,' 


CORA,  THE  PET  OF  THE  REGIMENT.  35 

she  wailed ;  *  made  you  guardian  of  it.  I  am  home- 
less and  penniless.    What  shall  I  do  ? ' 

"  All  in  a  moment  it  occurred  to  me  to  make  this  pretty 
young  girl  my  ward,  and,  as  her  guardian,  bring  her  home 
with  me." 

He  did  not  add  that  on  the  spot  he  had  asked  the  girl 
to  be  his  wife,  and  that  she  had  said  she  must  have  a 
year  to  think  it  over  before  giving  him  her  final  answer, 
which  she  felt  sure  would  be  in  the  affirmative ;  still,  she 
would  not  bind  herself  by  a  formal  betrothal  for  that 
length  of  time. 

"  So  I  brought  her  home,"  he  concluded,  aloud.  "  She 
will  be  a  brilliant  acquisition  to  the  household.  To  tell 
you  the  truth,  my  dear  child,  you  need  the  association 
of  some  one  thoroughly  ladylike  to  teach  you  those  little 
elegancies  of  deportment  so  very  essential  to  a  lady." 

The  girl  drew  back  with  flashing  eyes. 

"  She  can't  teach  me  anything,  papa,"  she  cried.  "  I 
know  quite  as  much  as  she  does,  even  more,  if  anything." 

"  She  is  very  cultured  and  refined,"  declared  the  gen- 
eral, irritably.  "  I  wish  you  were  like  her.  She  has 
such  a  dignified  pose;  she  attracted  much  attention  on 
our  journey  here.  If  you  want  to  please  me,  Cora,  you 
will  show  her  every  consideration,"  this  very  sharply. 

Cora's  arms  fell  from  about  his  neck.  It  was  the  first 
time  in  his  life  that  he  had  ever  spoken  to  her  in  that  tone, 
and  it  cut  to  the  girl's  heart  like  the  thrust  of  a  sharp 
sword.    Her  pride  would  not  let  her  appear  to  notice  it. 

"  See  that  a  place  is  provided  for  her  at  the  breakfast- 
table.  You  must  go  to  her  room  at  once  to  see  that  she 
is  up,  and  show  her  about  the  grounds — make  her  ac- 
quainted with  the  house.  I  will  be  awaiting  you  at  the 
usual  hour  in  the  breakfast-room." 


36  CORA,  THE   PET   OF   THE   REGIMENT. 

Without  a  word,  Cora  turned  away  to  obey  him.  The 
girl's  heart  felt  strangely  heavy  as  she  quitted  the  room. 

Lyle  was  up  and  dressed  when  she  tapped  at  the  door. 

"  Good-morning,"  said  Cora,  hesitatingly,  on  the 
threshold,  doubtful  whether  she  would  be  welcome  or  not 
to  enter  her  own  boudoir.  Lyle  answered  the  saluta- 
tion. 

"  I  have  just  been  hoping  some  one  would  come  to 
me,"  she  said.  "  I  have  been  moping  around  for  over 
an  hour,  hardly  knowing  what  to  do  with  myself." 

"  I  am  sorry,"  returned  Cora.  "  I  could  have  come  to 
you  long  ago  had  I  known  you  were  up." 

"  I  hope  breakfast  will  soon  be  ready,  for  I'm  as 
hungry  as  a  bear,"  declared  Lyle.  "  You  must  have 
splendid  coffee ;  the  odor  of  it  came  up  here  to  me." 

Cora  started  back  in  surprise.  It  quite  amazed  her  to 
hear  such  a  remark  from  the  lips  of  a  stranger.  This 
certainly  did  not  bear  out  her  father's  idea  of  culture 
and  refinement,  which  he  had  credited  to  the  lovely 
stranger. 

"  It  must  be  perfectly  lovely  to  live  so  near  West 
Point,"  chattered  Lyle.  "  I  suppose  you  know  all  the 
cadets  ?  " 

"  Pretty  much,"  returned  Cora. 

"  Do  you  believe  there  is  such  a  thing  as  love  at  first 
sight,"  asked  Lyle,  suddenly  and  eagerly.  "  Tell  me,  do 
you  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Cora,  blushing  like  a  red,  red  rose,  "  I 
think  so;  but  Miss  Bitterwood  says  that  such  an  idea  is 
ridiculous." 

"  She  doesn't  know  anything  about  young  girls* 
hearts,"  laughed  Lyle. 

Again  it  struck  Cora  that,  for  a  stranger,  she  made 


CORA^  THE  PET  OF  THE  REGIMENT.  37 

rather  free  remarks  concerning  members  of  the  house- 
hold. 

As  they  opened  the  door  of  the  breakfast-room,  Gen- 
eral Ormsby  came  forward  to  meet  them.  To  Cora's 
amazement,  she  saw  that  he  wore  a  red  rosebud  in  his 
button-hole.  The  sight  nearly  caused  her  to  drop  to  the 
floor.  In  all  the  years  of  her  life  she  never  remembered 
having  seen  her  father  wear  a  rose  in  the  lapel  of  his 
coat  before.  He  had  always  characterized  the  people 
who  wore  them  as  dudes  and  brainless  fops.  His  face 
was  flushed,  and  he  was  laughing  and  making  remarks 
quite  as  silly  as  a  school-boy  might  to  pretty  Lyle  War- 
ner. 

Cora  was  alarmed.  It  almost  seemed  to  her  that  she 
was  in  a  dream.  Her  surprise  knew  no  bounds  when  she 
saw  him  off^er  his  arm  gallantly  to  his  companion,  as  a 
young  carpet-knight  might  have  done,  and  lead  her  to  the 
table. 

"  What  a  beautiful  rose  you  are  wearing,  General 
Ormsby ! "  cried  the  girl. 

"  Pray  accept  it,"  returned  the  general,  with  a  low 
bow. 

The  next  instant  it  was  in  Lyle's  white  fingers,  and 
she  was  holding  it  to  her  red  lips. 

"  This  is  the  month  of  roses,"  he  said.  "  The  grounds 
and  old-fashioned  garden  back  of  the  house  are  running 
riot  with  the  most  gorgeous  of  blooms.  After  breakfast, 
I  should  be  delighted  to  take  you  through  the  grounds. 
I  think  you  will  be  pleased  with  the  place,"  he  said,  with 
pride  on  his  face  and  a  touch  of  eagerness  in  his  voice. 

"  I  am  sure  I  shall,"  she  returned,  with  a  dazzling 
smile. 

During  the  meal  Cora  did  not  talk  much;  but  her 


38  CORA,   THE   PET   OF   THE   REGIMENT. 

father  did  not  seem  to  notice  it,  so  animated  was  he  in  his 
conversation  with  the  handsome  young  stranger. 

"  Now  I  will  show  you  the  roses,  if  you  are  quite 
ready,"  said  the  general. 

They  passed  out  into  the  garden  together. 

Cora  stood  quite  motionless,  white  as  death,  in  the  cen- 
ter of  the  spacious  room.  Her  father  had  not  invited 
her  to  accompany  them ;  for  the  first  time  in  his  life  he 
had  forgotten  her — simply  forgotten  her. 

With  trembling  feet,  Cora  hurried  to  Miss  Bitter- 
wood's  apartment,  and  flung  herself  into  the  housekeep- 
er's arms,  telling  her  what  had  occurred. 

"  Do  not  make  a  goose  of  yourself,  my  dear !  "  ex- 
claimed the  housekeeper,  angrily.  "  Your  father  is  only 
showing  the  young  lady  the  most  natural  courtesy.  It 
is  but  little  wonder,  she  is  so  very  beautiful.  Why,  there 
isn't  a  young  man  for  miles  around  but  would  be  de- 
lighted to  step  into  his  shoes.  You  must  show  her  every 
courtesy;  she  is  extremely  aristocratic,  and  will  make  a 
fine  companion  for  you  to  take  about  with  you." 

"  I  am  very  sure  I  shall  not  like  her,"  faltered  Cora, 
piteously. 

"  Why  not,  pray  ?  "  asked  Miss  Bitterwood,  with  as- 
perity. 

"  I  do  not  know  just  why,  but  somehow  I  feel  it  in  my 
heart,"  she  moaned.  "  I  wish  she  had  never  entered 
this  house.  Somehow,  she  has  cast  a  dull,  gray  shadow 
over  it." 

"  Nonsense  I  "  replied  Miss  Bitterwood.  "  She  has 
brought  sunshine  and  gayety  into  it.  If  you  are  wise, 
you  will  make  a  friend,  not  an  enemy,  of  Ly — Miss  War- 


CORA,  THE  PET  OF  THE  REGIMENT.  39 

ner.  She  is  sure  to  win  all  the  cadets'  hearts  before  she 
is  here  a  month,  and  be  the  acknowledged  belle  of  West 
Point." 


CHAPTER  VII. 

"  Yes,  before  a  fortnight  is  over,  beautiful  Lyle  War- 
ner will  be  the  acknowledge  belle  of  West  Point,"  re- 
peated Miss  Bitterwood,  in  a  voice  that  had  a  very  tri- 
umphant ring  to  it. 

The  words  cut  to  Cora's  heart  like  the  thrust  of  a  sharp 
sword. 

How  could  she  doubt  it  when  even  her  father  seemed 
to  be  so  infatuated  with  the  beautiful  stranger. 

There  was  something  about  her  which  Cora  could  not 
bring  herself  to  like.  When  the  two  girls  were  alone 
together,  the  only  subject  which  seemed  to  interest  Lyle 
was  the  cadets. 

During  that  week  she  insisted  upon  going  every  day  to 
see  them  drill.  Very  eagerly  she  would  scan  each  face, 
then  she  would  look  away  with  a  disappointed  air.  The 
face  she  sought  was  not  among  them.  One  by  one  she 
inquired  about,  asking  who  he  was — if  his  father  were 
rich,  and  if  he  had  a  sweetheart,  until  Cora  grew  wofully 
tired  of  answering  such  questions.  She  took  good  care, 
however,  not  to  make  any  of  these  remarks  when  the  gen- 
eral was  present. 

"  Have  you  no  beau-ideal  among  the  handsome  ca- 
dets ?  "  she  asked  of  Cora  one  day.  The  girl  blushed 
furiously,  and  managed  to  turn  off  the  question  with- 
out replying  to  it ;  but  Lyle  was  not  to  be  put  off  in  this 


40  CORA,  THE  PET  OF  THE  REGIMENT. 

manner.  "  Have  you  never  had  any  love  affair  ?  "  per- 
sisted Lyle. 

"  Yes,"  admitted  Cora,  reluctantly,  at  last.  "  I  have 
met  a  young  man  whom  I  think  the  most  splendid  fellow 
the  whole  wide  world  holds !  " 

"  Does  he  like  you  ?  "  asked  Lyle,  anxiously. 

Again  Cora  flushed  crimson  to  the  roots  of  her  golden 
kair. 

"  He  has  never  said  so  in  so  many  words,  but  his  eyes 
leok  it  every  time  our' glances  meet." 

"  Promise  you  will  not  tell  if  I  make  a  confidante  of 
you,"  whispered  Lyle,  eagerly.  "  Do  you  think  it  strange 
for  a  young  girl  to  fall  in  love  with  a  young  man  whose 
very  name  she  does  not  know  ?  " 

"  I  have  heard  often  enough  that  love  at  first  sight  is 
not  uncommon." 

"  Well,  that  is  exactly  what  I  have  done,"  declared 
Lyle.  "  I  am  deeply  in  love  with  one  of  the  cadets.  I 
think  he  fell  in  love  with  me  at  first  sight.  I'd  give  any- 
thing to  get  an  introduction  to  him." 

"  I'll  speak  to  papa  about  it,  and  I'm  sure  he  can  bring 
it  about." 

"  Oh,  not  on  your  life !  "  declared  Lyle.  "  I  wouldn't 
have  him  know  it  for  anything  in  the  world.  He  would 
think  it  terrible  for  a  young  lady  to  express  a  wish  to  get 
acquainted  with  a  young  man — old  people  have  such 
queer  thoughts,  you  know.  Perhaps  we  can  manage  it 
without  him.  The  first  time  we  are  together  and  see  him, 
I  will  point  him  out.  Perhaps  we  can  get  up  a  flirtation 
with  him." 

"  A — a  flirtation  ?  "  gasped  Cora.  "  Surely  you  must 
be  jesting;  no  respectable  young  girl  would  think  of  such 
a  thing." 


CORA,  THE   PET   OF  THE  REGIMENT.  41 

"  I  really  didn't  know  they  were  such  prudes  out  here," 
pouted  Lyie.  "  New  York  girls  don't  think  it  so  dread- 
ful." 

"  Pardon  me,  yes,  they  do,"  answered  Cora.  "  I  know 
plenty  of  young  girls  who  would  make  a  terrible  fuss  if 
any  young  man  should  attempt  to  flirt  with  them." 

"  Why,  your  friends  must  all  be  prudes,"  sneered  Lyle. 
"  Why,  my  friends  would  think  nothing  of  it,  whatever," 
declared  Lyle,  with  a  toss  of  her  head,  and  Cora  fell  to 
wondering  what  kind  of  girls  Lyle's  friends  must  be  to  do 
such  a  despicable  thing  as  flirt  with  strangers. 

During  that  fortnight  Arthur  Rollins  had  managed  to 
see  Cora  frequently. 

Her  coming  and  going  had  attracted  no  attention  what- 
ever in  the  household ;  her  place  was  quietly  usurped  by 
the  stranger.  It  was  Lyle  who  accompanied  the  general 
to  the  morning-room  after  breakfast  was  over,  cut  and 
read  his  papers  for  him,  even  going  so  far  as  to  write  his 
letters  for  him.  Cora  found  to  her  great  dismay  that 
she  was  not  even  missed  by  the  father  who  would  not 
allow  her  out  of  his  presence  before. 

There  was  one  part  of  the  grounds  quite  secluded 
from  the  main  path,  and  which  no  member  of  the  house- 
hold ever  frequented ;  to  this  spot  Cora  would  steal  away 
and  throw  herself  down  in  the  long  grass,  giving  herself 
up  to  the  bitterest  tears  that  ever  fell  from  mortal  eyes. 

Suddenly  there  was  a  step,  a  strong  white  hand  pushed 
aside  the  interlacing  branches,  and  Cora  sprung  to  her 
feet  just  as  Arthur  Rollins,  the  handsome  cadet,  stepped 
into  the  little  leafy  bower.  He  had  been  attracted  by  the 
sound  of  violent  weeping.  His  amazement  knew  no 
bounds  when  he  saw  Cora. 


43  CORA,  THE   PET   OF   THE  REGIMENT. 

"  Miss  Ormsby — and  in  tears ! "  he  cried,  in  great 
alarm.    "  What  can  it  mean  ?  " 

"  I — was  not  cry-cry-ing !  "  she  sobbed,  gulping  down 
another  sob  which  threatened  to  overcome  her. 

Arthur  took  her  hands  gently  in  his.  Poor  little  hands, 
how  cold  they  were,  and  how  they  trembled ! 

"  There  is  something  the  matter,"  he  said,  very  gravely. 
"  Pray  tell  me  what  it  is,  and  command  me  if  there  is 
any  way  in  which  I  can  serve  you." 

Cora  shook  her  head  and  hid  her  face  in  her  hands. 

"  It  is  really  nothing,"  she  persisted  in  a  smothered 
voice.  "  I  was  a  little  lonesome.  Every  one  gets  lone- 
some once  in  awhile,  you  know." 

"  And,  after  the  manner  of  your  sex,  you  thought  the 
only  way  to  bring  yourself  to  a  cheerful  state  was  to 
drown  yourself  in  tears.  But  were  you  really  so  lone- 
some ?  " 

"  Yes,"  she  admitted. 

A  thrill  shot  through  his  heart.  It  had  been  four  days 
since  he  had  seen  her.    Had  that  anything  to  do  with  it  ? 

"  Sit  down  on  this  fallen  log,"  he  said,  "  and  let  us 
talk  a  little  while  together.  This  is  the  first  time  we 
have  had  a  chance  to  have  a  chat  since  the  evening  we 
had  that  never-to-be-forgotten,  delightful  dance  in  the 
grounds." 

"  Tell  me,"  she  asked,  eagerly,  catching  her  hands  to- 
gether, "  did  Captain  Lindsay  ever  find  out  who  it  was 
that  ran  away  so  unceremoniously  the  night  of  the  ball  ?  " 

"  No,"  returned  Arthur,  lightly ;  "I  refused  to  tell  him. 
That  is  all  there  is  to  it." 

He  would  not  let  her  know  of  the  terrible  altercation 
that  had  followed,  and  how  Captain  Lindsay  had  strode 
away  vowing  the  direst  vengeance  on  him. 


CORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE  REGIMENT.  43 

The  blow  had  not  as  yet  fallen.  The  young  cadet  had 
watched  and  waited  ever  since,  not  knowing  in  which 
direction  his  vengeance  would  fall  upon  him.  His  rage 
was  like  a  tempest,  gathering  in  fury  with  each  succeed- 
ing day. 

Each  moment  he  was  growing  more  desperately  in  love 
with  her.  How  he  longed  to  ask  her  if  he  might  come 
to  see  her  often,  that  he  had  thought  of  nothing,  dreamed 
of  nothing  but  her  by  night  and  by  day!  He  was  so 
taken  up  with  Cora  that  he  even  forgot  to  ask  after  the 
health  of  the  beautiful  girl  he  had  seen  with  her,  and 
whom  he  heard  was  stopping  with  her  at  the  villa. 

He  could  think  of  nothing,  talk  of  nothing  but  herself. 

He  learned  that  she  came  to  the  glade  nearly  every  day 
alone,  and  he  promised  himself  that  he  should  come  there 
too,  if  there  was  any  way  possible,  little  dreaming  of  the 
terrible  tragedy  that  was  to  occur. 


CHAPTER  VHI. 

Arthur  walked  back  to  camp  with  a  warm  flush  on  his 
boyish  face  and  a  glad  light  in  his  eyes,  whistling  a  merry 
tune.  He  was  in  love,  thoroughly  in  love;  and  when  a 
young  man  is  in  that  state  the  world  seems  all  couleur  de 
rose  to  him. 

During  the  half  hour  which  he  spent  with  Cora,  his 
enemy  was  so  near  that  he  could  hear  all  that  passed  be- 
tween them,  and  his  rage  knew  no  bounds.  He  clutched 
his  hands  together  to  keep  from  parting  the  vines,  spring- 
ing in  between  them,  and  thrusting  aside  the  handsome 
young  cadet.     He  knew  enough  of  human  nature,  how- 


44  CORA,  THE   PET   OF  THE  REGIMENT. 

ever,  to  realize  that  this  would  only  hurt  his  own  cause 
with  Cora.    No ;  he  must  be  more  diplomatic  than  that. 

There  was  but  one  way,  and  that  was  to  disgrace  him 
openly — ay,  disgrace  him  so  bitterly  that  he  would  never 
dare  raise  his  head  among  his  fellow-men. 

Instead  of  going  back  to  camp,  the  captain  suddenly 
wheeled  about  and  bent  his  steps  toward  the  villa.  He 
found  the  old  general  in  the  library. 

"  Good-afternoon,  Lindsay,"  said  the  bluff  old  general, 
warmly  wringing  the  young  man's  hand.  "  Delighted  to 
see  you,  I  am  sure.  I  suppose  you  were  strolling  past  and 
thought  you  would  give  me  the  pleasure  of  a  little  call  ? " 

"  No,  general.  I  came  here  to  see  you  on  a  special 
mission,"  said  the  captain,  a  little  confusedly. 

"  If  it  is  a  fair  question,  general,  I  should  like  to  ask 
if  you  know  this  young  cadet,  Rollins,  personally?  " 

"  To  be  sure,"  returned  the  old  general.  "  I  thought 
every  one  knew  that.  Why,  I  was  the  one,  backed  by 
the  congressman  from  my  district,  who  got  him  in.  I 
think  it  is  well  known  why  I  took  such  an  interest  in 
him.    You  know  he  once  saved  my  dear  little  Cora's  life." 

"  But  did  you  inquire  into  his  character  very  thor- 
oughly, general  ?  "  asked  the  captain,  very  significantly. 

General  Ormsby  started. 

"  Well,"  he  said,  slowly,  "  he  told  me  that  he  was  born 
and  brought  up  in  the  little  village  of  Red  Bank.  He 
had  come  to  New  York  to  find  a  position,  and  brought 
letters  of  recommendation  from  the  school-master  and 
both  of  the  ministers  in  the  village.  I  did  not  investigate 
the  authenticity  of  the  letters.  His  fair,  open  countenance 
was  all  the  recommendation  I  needed  ;  and  I  flatter  myself 
that  I  am  a  tolerably  good  judge  of  human  nature." 


CORA,  THE  PET   OF   THE  REGIMENT.  45 

"  But  is  it  not  possible  for  one  to  err  at  times  ?  "  mur- 
mured the  captain. 

General  Ormsby  looked  at  him. 

"  You  speak  in  innuendoes.  I  do  not  like  it.  Come 
right  out  plainly  and  tell  me  what  you  have  on  your 
mind,"  said  the  general,  bluntly. 

"  Well,  in  the  first  place,  there  is  something  about 
him  which  the  cadets  in  his  regiment  do  not  understand. 
He  does  not  make  friends  with  them " 

"  Well,  well ;  what  of  that  ?  "  cut  in  the  general,  frown- 
ing. 

"  It  would  take  pretty  positive  proof  to  make  me  think 
ill  of  this  young  man,"  he  declared.  "  I  will  look  into 
the  matter." 

The  captain  bowed;  the  conversation  then  drifted  into 
other  channels,  and  soon  after  Captain  Lindsay  took  his 
leave. 

It  was  toward  the  end  of  the  season,  and  upon  the  fol- 
lowing week  they  were  to  break  up  camp,  and  most  of 
the  cadets  were  to  return  to  their  homes. 

To  Captain  Lindsay's  intense  rage,  Arthur  Rollins  was 
invited  by  the  general  to  be  his  guest  during  his  vacation. 
In  extending  it.  General  Ormsby  had  but  one  thought, 
and  that  was  to  let  the  officers  and  cadets,  one  and  all,  see 
•how  thoroughly  he  trusted  the  young  man.  He  quite  for- 
got about  Cora.  It  did  not  occur  to  him,  until  Arthur 
sent  back  his  note  of  acceptance,  and  briefly  acknowledged 
the  general's  kindness. 

Two  days  later  there  was  to  be  a  lawn  fete  at  a  neigh- 
boring villa,  and  many  of  the  cadets  were  to  be  present, 
[Arthur  Rollins  among  them. 

Cora  heard  this  with  a  glad  throb  at  her  heart.     Lyle 


46  CORA,  THE  PET  OF  THE  REGIMENT. 

listened  eagerly  while  the  general  and  his  daughter  were 
discussing  the  affair. 

She  said  to  herself  how  strange  it  would  be  if  her 
hero  should  be  there.  If  she  but  knew  his  name!  Ah! 
that  was  the  trouble.  If  she  did  not  meet  him  soon  she 
would  fling  prudence  to  the  winds  and  ask  the  old  general 
the  name  of  the  young  cadet  whom  they  had  met  and 
he  had  spoken  to  that  evening.  Never  did  a  day  break 
more  auspiciously  than  the  one  on  which  the  lawn  fete 
was  to  take  place. 

Hundreds  of  young  girls  had  looked  forward  to  it, 
and  uttered  cries  of  delight  as  they  opened  their  eyes  and 
saw  the  sun  shining  warm  and  bright. 

All  the  cadets  who  could  get  away  were  on  the  qui 
vive  of  expectancy,  much  to  the  annoyance  of  their  fel- 
lows who  were  obliged  to  remain  on  duty.  It  was  high 
noon  when  the  beaus  and  belles  began  to  arrive.  The 
old  general  escorted  Cora  and  Lyle. 

"  You  will  be  the  two  prettiest  girls  at  the  lawn  fete," 
he  observed,  eying  them  both  critically. 

Cora  was  dressed  in  simple  white,  with  a  pale-blue 
sash  knotted  about  her  slender  waist,  and  a  bunch  of 
simple  pansies  at  her  belt  and  twined  among  her  golden 
curls. 

Lyle  had  never  been  to  a  lawn  fete  before ;  but  rather 
than  ask  Cora,  she  followed  her  own  idea,  and  almost 
took  Cora's  and  Miss  Bitterwood's  breath  away  when 
she  came  down  to  join  the  general  and  his  daughter,  ar- 
rayed in  a  crimson  silk  dress  veiled  in  black  lace,  and 
wearing  all  the  jewelry  which  she  possessed.  Her  crit- 
ical eyes  noted  every  detail  of  Cora's  dress. 

"  She  evidently  goes  in  for  simplicity,"  thought  Lyle. 


CORA,  THE  PET  OF  THE  REGIMENT.  47 

"  Now,  what  chance  will  she  stand  in  that  dress  com- 
pared with  me  ?  " 

And  her  spirits  rose  higher  and  higher  as  they  set  out 
toward  the  scene  of  festivity. 

Cora  watched  her  beautiful  companion,  owning  to  her- 
self that  Lyle  was  certainly  the  most  beautiful  creature 
that  she  had  ever  beheld. 

She  wondered  if  Arthur  Rollins  would  admire  her. 
She  half  wished  that  she  had  not  been  invited  to  the 
lawn  fete. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

The  entrance  of  the  two  beautiful  girls  on  the  grounds 
created  quite  a  sensation. 

"  I  think  I  shall  have  to  go  up  to  the  porch  and  sit 
down  and  rest  awhile,"  said  the  general,  puffing  and 
panting,  "  much  as  I  should  enjoy  going  through  the 
grounds  with  you." 

He  began  to  realize  for  the  first  time  in  his  life  how 
firm  a  hand  old  age  was  laying  upon  him.  Cora  felt 
greatly  distressed  for  him. 

Lyle  was  secretly  delighted.  She  had  said  to  herself 
that  she  would  not  enjoy  the  lawn  fete  if  the  old  octo- 
genarian were  to  keep  constantly  at  her  elbow.  She 
would  "improve  her  time  to  see  and  be  seen  while  he  was 
resting. 

"  Shall  I  not  accompany  you  to  the  porch,  papa,  and 
sit  with  you  until  you  are  rested  ? "  asked  Cora,  anx- 
iously. 


48  CORA,  THE  PET  OF  THE  REGIMENT. 

"  No ;  you  and  Lyle  can  come  back  for  me  after  awhile. 
Go  and  enjoy  yourself.    I  will  be  a  looker-on." 

"  I  suppose  you  know  every  one  here,"  said  Lyle,  her 
face  flushing  eagerly. 

"  I  do  not  think  there  will  be  many  strangers,"  replied 
Cora. 

"  Do  not  be  surprised  if  I  flirt  desperately  with  the 
handsome  cadets.  Don't  look  so  shocked.  Your  pained, 
puritanical  face  makes  me  laugh." 

Seeing  that  Lyle  was  enjoying  herself  to  the  top  of  her 
bent,  Cora  excused  herself  a  moment  to  see  how  her 
father  was  getting  along. 

While  Lyle  stood  there  chatting  with  a  group  of  young 
girls  and  their  escorts,  she  noticed  with  intense  satisfac- 
tion how  jealous  and  ill  at  ease  all  the  girls  were. 

"  They  are  never  sure  of  their  beaus  when  I  am  about," 
she  thought,  amusedly. 

Suddenly  some  one  touched  her  on  the  arm,  and  said : 

"  Miss  Warner,  I  wish  to  introduce  Mr.  Arthur  Rollins 
to  you." 

She  turned  a  laughing  face,  and  saw  standing  before 
her  the  handsome  cadet  who  had  haunted  her  very 
dreams,  who  had  been  in  her  thoughts  every  hour  of  the 
day  since  she  had  met  him  on  the  night  of  the  cadets' 
great  ball. 

"  I  believe  we  have  met  before,"  she  said,  extending  her 
hand. 

Her  dark  eyes  flashed  with  a  brr'  '  '^ht.  and  her 
crimson  lips  quivered  with  emotion.  was  so  com- 

pletely transformed  all  in  an  instant  ;  :  it  Arthur  was 
startled  by  her  loveliness. 

"  I  was  just  about  to  make  the  same  remark,"  said 


CORA,  THE   PET   OF  THE   REGIMENT.  49 

Arthur,  with  a  low  bow ;  "  but  I  hardly  supposed  that 
you  would  remember  me." 

Remember  him !  Lyle  looked  up  into  the  handsome, 
laughing,  debonair  face,  saying  to  herself  that  she  should 
never  forget  him. 

Arthur  talked  so  freely,  so  gracefully,  that  she  forgot 
everything  in  the  charm  of  his  presence. 

"  How  warm  the  sun  shines  down  in  the  groimds  and 
how  cool  it  looks  down  by  the  river,"  she  said. 

He  took  the  hint  at  once,  as  he  knew  that  she  wanted 
him  to  invite  her  to  walk  that  way.  He  bit  his  lips.  He 
was  waiting  there  in  the  hope  of  Cora  joining  them ;  but 
perhaps  she  would  see  them  and  follow  them  to  the 
sylvan  retreat.     He  could  only  hope  for  it. 

"  Shall  we  walk  down  that  way  ?  "  he  asked,  taking  the 
path  which  led  past  the  house. 

He  had  seen  Cora  on  the  porch,  and  he  had  hoped  that 
his  companion  might  elect  to  go  that  way.  But  no,  with 
a  charming  little  nod  of  the  head,  she  said : 

"  The  other  path  is  shortest,  and  there  is  an  avenue  of 
trees  down  to  the  water's  edge." 

So  they  strolled  off  together,  and  Cora,  from  the  vine- 
covered  porch,  watched  them  with  a  dull,  heavy  pain  at 
her  heart. 

"  They  have  met,  and  he  is  infatuated  with  her,  like 
every  one  else  is,"  she  thought. 

Lyle  was  brilliant  in  conversation ;  with  her  smiles  and 
her  glances  she  did  her  utmost  to  captivate  the  handsome 
cadet. 

She  succeeded  so  well  that  for  a  time  he  quite  forgot 
the  little  white-robed  figure  back'on  the  porch. 

He  thought  he  had  never  met  a  more  amiable  girl  than 
this  lovely  dark-eyed  creature  by  his  side.     She  was  so 


60  CORA,  THE   PET   OF   THE   REGIMENT. 

bright,  so  vivacious,  that  she  amused  him — and  what 
young  man  does  not  Hke  to  be  amused  ? 

He  admired  the  girl  by  his  side  as  men  always  will  ad- 
mire an  exquisitely  beautiful  face,  but  his  heart  had  never 
for  an  instant  swerved  from  its  allegiance  to  Cora. 

He  was  anxious  to  get  back  to  the  throng  on  the  lawn ; 
it  never  occurred  to  him  that  he  had  passed  over  an  hour 
in  loitering  up  and  down  the  river's  bank  with  lovely 
Lyle;  but  Cora  knew  it,  and  the  pain  in  her  heart  grew 
worse. 

"  She  will  try  to  charm  him,"  she  muttered,  "  and  she 
will  be  sure  to  succeed." 

She  saw  them  approach,  and  she  sprung  from  her  chair. 
Should  she  go  down  and  meet  them,  or  should  she  avoid 
Arthur  ?  He  had  been  at  the  lawn  fete  a  whole  hour,  and 
yet  he  had  not  sought  her  out. 

At  that  moment  the  band  struck  up  a  waltz. 

"Oh,  how  delightful!"  breathed  Lyle.  "I  am  so 
fond  of  dancing !  " 

"May  I  hope  for  a  waltz  later?"  he  asked,  uttering 
the  words  mechanically. 

"  You  may  have  this  one  if  you  like,"  she  answered, 
looking  up  archly  into  his  face. 

He  murmured  some  inarticulate  word,  but  there  was 
no  help  for  it.  She  placed  her  hand  on  his  arm,  and 
the  dance  began  which  was  to  cause  so  much  mischief. 

Cora  saw,  and  her  heart  felt  like  so  much  lead  in  her 
bosom. 

"  Why  don't  you  go  and  join  the  young  folks,  my 
dear  ?  "  asked  the  general.  "  Lyle  will  come  and  sit  with 
me  for  a  little  spell  if  you  ask  her." 

"  I  am  afraid  not,  papa,"  answered  his  daughter,  chok- 
ing down  the  lump  that  rose  in  her  throat. 


CORA^  THE  PET  OF  THE  REGIMENT.  51 

"  What  is  she  doing  ?  "  he  asked,  eagerly.  "  Your  eyes 
are  better  than  mine." 

'*  Dancing,"  was  the  brief  response. 

The  general  muttered  something  under  his  breath,  and 
he  grew  very  restless. 

"  I  wish  you  would  tell  her  I  want  her,  Cora,"  he  said, 
sharply. 

"  Isn't  there  something  that  I  can  do  for  you,  papa?" 
she  asked. 

"  No,"  he  returned,  his  face  darkening.  "  With  whom 
is  she  dancing?  " 

"  Mr.  Rollins,"  replied  his  daughter,  faintly. 

He  grew  so  fidgety  in  his  seat  that  Cora  quite  sub- 
dued her  own  troubles  in  trying  to  interest  him. 

The  waltz  was  over  at  last,  and  Arthur  led  Lyle  to  a 
seat  under  the  drooping  branches  of  the  trees.  He  was 
thankful  enough  to  see  young  Captain  Harding  stepping 
up  to  them,  and  to  hear  him  ask  Lyle  for  a  waltz  the 
next  moment. 

"  I  shall  not  dance  any  more  to-day,"  she  said,  raising 
her  dark,  luminous  eyes. 

She  was  in  hopes  that  the  captain  would  bow  and  turn 
away,  but  he  had  no  intention  of  doing  this. 

Still  he  lingered,  discussing  the  fete,  and  what  a  bril- 
liant success  it  was.  This  gave  Arthur  an  opportunity 
to  bow  himself  out  of  Lyle's  presence,  much  to  her  cha- 
grin. 

Her  eyes  followed  him  to  see  in  which  direction  he  was 
going,  and  her  anger  knew  no  bounds  when  she  saw  him 
walk  straight  to  where  Cora  was. 


52  CORA,   THE   PET^OF   THE  REGIMENT. 

CHAPTER  X. 

The  afternoon  was  almost  over,  when  Arthur  had  a 
few  moments  to  himself  and  made  his  way  to  her  side. 
She  nodded  quite  carelessly  to  him.  There  was  a  flush 
on  her  cheeks;  but  the  pretty  red  lips  did  not  smile 
their  usual  welcome  for  him,  and  the  pretty  blue  eyes  did 
not  brighten  at  his  approach. 

"  I  must  have  been  mistaken,"  he  thought  to  himself, 
drawing  apart  from  the  group  and  looking  at  her  with 
wistful  eyes.  "  She  has  no  particular  interest  in  me,  that 
is  certain.  I  was  mad  to  think  that  her  pleasantness 
meant  anything  deeper  than  the  most  commonplace  kin  d 
ness." 

A  deep  sigh  broke  from  his  lips,  and  he  turned  away. 

The  affair  was  over  at  last,  much  to  the  regret  of  every 
one  save  Cora. 

"If  you  are  coming  in  our  direction,  I  should  be  glad 
to  have  you  walk  along  with  us,  Mr.  RolUns,"  said  the 
general. 

Both  girls  looked  up  suddenly,  and  both  blushed;  but 
'Arthur  saw  only  the  fair  face  of  Cora. 

"  I  should  be  only  too  pleased,"  he  murmured,  accept 
ing  the  general's  invitation  with  alacrity. 

He  could  never  tell  just  how  it  happened,  but  as  th<?y 
passed  through  the  arched  gate- way,  he  found  himsfilf 
by  the  side  of  Miss  Warner,  instead  of  Cora.  It  never 
once  occurred  to  him  that  this  came  about  by  the  sharpest 
kind  of  maneuvering  on  the  part  of  Lyle,  who  saw  her 
chance  and  improved  it  at  once.  She  chatted  to  him 
gayly,  and  her  remarks  were  so  witty  that  he  was  obliged 
to  laugh  outright. 

Their  mirth  annoyed  Cora,  who  was  walking  ahead 


CORA,   THE   PET   OF   THE  REGIMENT,  53 

with  her  father,  although  she  pretended  not  to  hear,  and 
never  once  turned  her  head  around. 

When  Lyle  heard  that  Arthur  was  coming  to  the  villa 
to  spend  a  couple  of  months,  her  delight  knew  no  bounds. 

"  How  charming !  "  she  cried.  "  It  will  certainly  be  a 
great  relief,  it  was  so  monotonous.  Cora  is  not  very- 
fond  of  pleasure." 

He  looked  quite  surprised  to  hear  that. 

"  Dear  me !  how  fast  the  general  and  Cora  walk !  "  she 
said.  "  In  the  city  we  are  not  noted  for  being  pedestrians, 
as  you  are  in  the  country.  Would  you  mind  if  I  asked 
you  to  slacken  your  pace  a  little  ?  " 

Soon  Cora  found  that  the  distance  between  herself  and 
Lyle  and  her  companion  was  growing  considerably 
greater. 

"  Am  I  walking  too  fast  for  you,  papa?  "  she  asked. 

He  answered: 

"  No ;  I  could  walk  even  faster." 

She  said  no  more. 

She  and  the  general  were  gradually  gaining  ground, 
while  Arthur  and  Lyle  were  left  at  some  little  distance. 

The  general  and  Cora  had  entered  the  house  by  the 
time  they  reached  the  porch.  They  could  hear  all  that 
transpired  through  the  open  window  of  the  library. 

"  Good-bye,"  she  heard  Lyle  say,  as  she  extended  her 
dimpled  jeweled  hand.  "  You  will  be  sure  to  be  with 
us  to-morrow  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  he  answered,  gallantly,  raising  his  hat. 

"  Come  as  early  in  the  forenoon  as  possible,"  she  said, 
brightly ;  "  I  am  going  out  horseback  riding.  I  should  be 
so  pleased  to  have  you  accompany  me." 

"  Isn't  Miss  Ormsby  going?  "  he  asked. 

"  Perhaps  so,"  she  repHed. 


64  CORA,  THE   PET   OF  THE   REGIMENT. 

"  I  should  be  delighted  to  come."  With  this  he  bowed, 
turned,  and  walked  quickly  down  the  graveled  walk. 
Lyle  stood  on  the  porch  and  watched  him  until  a  bend 
in  the  road  hid  him  from  her. 

She  might  have  stood  there  long  hours,  unconscious  of 
the  flight  of  time,  had  not  Miss  Bitterwood  suddenly  ap- 
peared on  the  porch. 

"  Dear  me,  where  have  you  been  ?  Cora  and  the  gen- 
eral returned  fully  a  quarter  of  an  hour  ago.  What  have 
you  been  doing,  I  wonder  ?  " 

"  Turning  a  handsome  cadet's  head,"  responded  Lyle, 
promptly. 

The  housekeeper's  brow  darkened. 

"  Wasting  your  time  on  some  poor  cadet,"  she  said, 
sharply.  "  Well,  well !  a  peasant  will  be  a  peasant,  if  you 
deck  her  in  court  diamonds." 

Cora  started  and  turned  pale.  How  strange  it  was 
that  the  housekeeper  should  speak  so  familiarly  to  Miss 
Warner;  but  she  would  not  listen.  When  the  two  girls 
found  themselves  alone  together,  Lyle  at  once  began  to 
discuss  the  lawn  fete. 

"Wasn't  it  a  grand  afifair?"  she  said.  "I  enjoyed  it- 
better  than  I  did  anything  in  my  life  before." 

"  Perhaps  some  one  helped  to  make  it  so  very  pleasant 
for  you." 

Lyle  blushed  furiously. 

"  Perhaps,"  she  answered,  with  a  laugh.  "  Mr.  Rollins 
is  an  exceedingly  pleasant  companion,"  she  said.  "  You 
did  not  tell  me  about  him.  He  is  ever  so  much  nicer  than 
any  of  the  other  cadets  I  have  met  so  far.  He  tells  me, 
too,  that  he  is  to  be  your  father's  guest  during  his  vaca- 
tion." 

"  So  I  have  just  heard  papa  say,"  returned  Cora. 


CORA^  THE  PET   OF  THE  REGIMENT.  55 

"  It  always  livens  up  matters  so  nicely  when  there  is  a 
young  gentleman  about.  What  a  pity  your  father  did 
not  invite  two — one  for  each  of  us." 

Cora  flushed.    She  could  not  understand  Lyle  Warner. 

"  Why,  what  are  you  blushing  for  ?  "  asked  Lyle  with  a 
laugh.  "  Are  you  also  smitten  with  the  handsome  ca- 
det?" 

•'  Miss  Bitterwood  is  calling  me.  I  must  go,"  said 
Cora,  anxious  to  change  the  subject.  But  Lyle  detected 
the  motive. 

On  what  trifles  do  human  lives  turn!  If  Cora  had  not 
blushed,  her  life  would  have  been  entirely  different. 

"  There  is  something  that  she  is  keeping  back  from 
me,"  thought  her  beautiful,  designing  companion ;  "  and 
I  must  find  out  what  it  is." 

Aloud  she  said: 

"  How  long  have  you  known  Mr.  Rollins,  Cora  ?  " 

"  Some  months,"  was  the  evasive  reply. 

"  I  wonder  that  you  could  have  known  him  an  hour 
without  falling  deeply  in  love  with  him,  he  is  so  fasci- 
nating." 

Cora  looked  embarrassed. 

"  Perhaps  you  are  one  of  the  kind  that  never  intend 
leaving  your  father  while  he  lives  ?  " 

"  I  do  not  expect  to,"  returned  Cora. 

"  But  tell  me  more  about  Arthur  Rollins,"  persisted 
Lyle.  "  Where  you  first  met  him  ?  Has  he  a  sister  ? 
Where  is  his  home?  " 

Before  Cora  could  answer  this  avalanche  of  eager 
questions,  Miss  Bitterwood  entered  the  drawing-room. 

"  The  general  would  like  to  see  you,  Miss  Warner,"  she 
said,  carelessly. 

Lyle's  brow  darkened,  and  she  bit  her  lips  to  keep  back 


56  CORA,  THE   PET   OF   THE   REGIMENT. 

the  angry  retort  that  rose  to  them.  There  was  nothing  to 
do  but  to  obey  her  aunt's  summons.  Cora  stole  quietly  up 
to  her  own  room. 

"  I  have  almost  a  mind  to  write  him  not  to  come,"  she 
panted,  "  she  is  so  much  in  love  with  him.  He  would 
begin  by  flirting  with  her  and  end  by  adoring  her.  But 
can  I  stand  by  and  see  it,  uttering  no  word?  Of  course, 
he  is  nothing  to  me;  but  his  eyes  have  told  me  that  he 
cares  for  me,  even  though  his  lips  did  not  frame  the 
words." 

Then  the  pride  of  the  Ormsby's  came  to  her. 

"  I  shall  not  let  them  see,  though  my  heart  breaks !  " 

Lyle  spent  the  evening  in  the  drawing-room  with  the 
general.  Cora  remained  in  her  room,  retiring  early  under 
the  plea  of  having  a  severe  headache. 

She  was  not  missed.  There  had  been  a  time,  she  said 
to  herself,  and  not  very  long  ago,  when  her  slightest  in- 
disposition would  have  caused  the  greatest  anxiety  in  the 
household.  It  was  different  now.  Of  course,  her  father'y 
attention  to  the  beautiful  stranger  was  only  through 
courtesy,  still  it  hurt  Cora  most  cruelly. 

Early  the  next  morning  Lyle  was  in  the  grounds.  She 
was  the  first  to  welcome  Arthur  when  he  came  to  the 
villa. 

"  I  was  expecting  you,"  she  said,  sweetly.  "  Welcome 
to  Ormsby  Villa,  Mr.  Rollins." 

He  looked  about  for  Cora.     She  was  not  there. 

"  She  has  left  the  duty  of  greeting  me  to  her  friend," 
he  thought,  rather  bitterly. 

"  The  general  is  indulging  in  an  after-breakfast  nap 
over  his  newspaper,  and  Cora  is  busy  writing  a  letter," 
she  explained.  "  So  I  promised  to  take  charge  of  you  en- 
tirely until  luncheon  hour." 


CORA,  THE   PET   OF  THE  REGIMENT.  57 

"  It  was  very  good  of  you,"  he  answered,  simply ;  "  but 
I  don't  want  to  be  a  burden  to  you." 

Lyle  laughed  merrily. 

"  Perhaps  I  look  upon  it  as  a  pleasure,"  she  said,  rather 
archly. 

No  man  could  help  feeling  flattered  to  hear  sucn  a 
remark  concerning  himself  from  such  lovely  lips. 

A  few  moments  later,  to  Cora's  great  astonishment, 
she  saw  Lyle  and  Arthur  Rollins  riding  down  the  broad 
graveled  carriage  road  toward  the  entrance  gate,  their 
horses  cantering  briskly  along  side  by  side. 

The  sight  brought  the  color  to  her  face. 

"  I  did  not  even  know  that  he  had  come,"  she  said  to 
herself.  "  No  one  took  the  trouble  to  inform  me.  He 
must  have  asked  for  Lyle." 

How  handsome  Lyle  looked  in  her  blue  riding-habit,  the 
blue  veil  wound  about  the  silk  hat,  flying  in  the  breeze, 
her  cheeks  all  aglow ! 

"  I  will  show  him  that  I  do  not  care,"  she  said  to 
herself. 

But  even  though  she  said  it  so  determinedly,  she  put 
on  her  prettiest  lawn  dress  for  luncheon,  and  took  extra 
pains  in  twining  a  blue  ribbon  about  her  golden  curls. 

"Where  is  Lyle?"  asked  the  general  of  Miss  Bitter- 
wood,  half  an  hour  later,  as  she  passed  through  the 
morning-room.  "  She  is  not  here  to  read  to  me.  She 
has  not  even  cut  my  papers." 

"  She  has  been  in  her  room  all  the  morning  with  a 
severe  headache.  She  begged  me  to  make  her  apologies 
to  you,  and  to  say  that  she  hopes  you  will  not  think 
she  has  negelected  you." 

"  I  did  not  know  that  I  could  miss  her  so  much," 
sighed  the  general. 


68  CORA,   THE   PET   OF   THE   REGIMENT. 

"  Shall  I  go  to  her  and  say  that  you  would  like  her 
to  come  down  ?  " 

"  Oh,  by  no  means,"  he  answered.  "  Do  not  disturb 
her.     She  will  no  doubt  be  down  to  luncheon  presently." 

"  It's  a  lucky  thing  that  he  doesn't  know  that  she's  gone 
out  riding,"  she  thought.  "  I  must  go  down  to  the  bend 
in  the  road  and  warn  her  to  come  home  by  the  side  path.'* 


CHAPTER  XI. 

When  Lyle  and  Arthur  Rollins  came  dashing  up  the 
road  an  hour  later,  and  the  girl  saw  Miss  Bitterwood 
awaiting  her  at  the  sharp  turn  which  led  to  the  villa,  her 
brow  darkened  with  a  frown.  She  bit  her  red  lips 
fiercely  to  keep  back  the  exclamation  that  rose  to  them. 

"  Ah !  there  is  the  housekeeper  of  the  villa ;  no  doubt 
she  wishes  to  speak  with  me,"  she  said,  carelessly.  "  If 
you  ride  on,  I  will  overtake  you  in  a  moment  or  two. 
Perhaps  it  might  be  more  enjoyable  for  you  to  ride  over 
by  way  of  the  field,  and  look  over  the  general's  stables 
and  kennels." 

"  Thanks ;  I  will  act  upon  your  suggestion,"  said  Ar- 
thur, touching  the  animal  lightly  with  his  whip. 

In  a  moment  he  was  quite  out  of  sight.  By  that  time 
Lyle  had  reached  the  spot  where  Miss  Bitterwood  was 
pacing  up  and  down. 

"  Well,"  she  exclaimed,  with  a  toss  of  her  dark  curls, 
"  I  suppose  I  am  in  for  a  lecture ;  but  this  is  hardly  the 
time  or  the  place  for  it !  " 

Miss  Bitterwood  reached  for  the  bridle  of  the  horse, 
and  brought  him  to  a  stand-still  with  a  terrible  jerk. 


CORA,   THE   PET   OF   THE   REGIMENT.  59 

"  /  couldn't  have  believed  this  unless  I  had  seen  it !  " 
<5he  cried,  in  a  hard,  rasping  voice.  "  Are  you  so  blind 
to  your  own  interests  as  to  flirt  openly  with  this  poor 
cadet  who  hasn't  a  cent  in  his  pocket,  and  right  before 
the  general's  eyes?  You  know  if  you  miss  him,  it 
means  going  back  to  New  York  and  your  little  garret 
room,  and  finding  work  in  some  millinery  shop  at  star- 
vation wages." 

The  girl's  face  blanched. 

"  I  don't  see  that  I  am  liable  to  forget  it  with  you  din- 
ning it  into  my  ears  every  hour  of  the  day.  Supposing 
the  old  general  does  '  throw  me  over,'  as  you  call  it,  it 
wouldn't  matter  very  much  to  me  if  I  were  lucky  enough 
to  capture  a  young  millionaire,  would  it !  " 

"  First  get  your  young  millionaire.  I  hope  you  don't 
think  Arthur  Rollins  is  one.  He's  a  beggar,  I  tell  you,  in- 
tent upon  capturing  an  heiress  like  Cora  Ormsby." 

The  girl  smiled  superciliously.  She  did  not  attach  one 
word  of  importance  to  what  her  aunt  said,  believing  that 
she  spoke  with  a  purpose  in  view. 

"  I  will  not  be  lectured  any  longer,"  cried  the  girl. 
*'  I  will  have  a  good  time,  if  I  die  for  it ;  you  may  as  well 
understand  that  first  as  last." 

"  Then  I  wash  my  hands  of  you  entirely !  "  cried  Miss 
Bitterwood,  furiously. 

Lyle  shrugged  her  shapely  shoulders. 

Without  another  word,  her  aunt  strode  back  to  the 
house  by  a  short  cut. 

It  so  happened  that  when  Arthur  had  looked  through 
the  stables  and  passed  beyond  to  the  dog-kennels,  the  first 
person  he  met  was  Cora. 

Was  it  only  his  fancy,  or  did  the  lovely  young  girl 
flush  crimson  as  she  held  out  her  hand  to  him  ? 


60  CORA^  THE  PET   OF   THE   REGIMENT. 

"  Welcome  to  Ormsby  Villa,  Mr.  Rollins,"  she  said. 
"  I  saw  you  when  you  were  coming  to  the  entrance  gate, 
but  before  I  could  get  down-stairs  you  had  started  out 
for  a  ride.  I  hope  you  enjoyed  it — the  morning  was  de- 
lightful." 

"  Our  canter  over  the  hills  was  charming.  It  would 
have  been  more  enjoyable,  however,  had  you  been  with 
us." 

Cora  did  not  tell  him  that  she  had  had  a  hearty  cry 
when  she  had  seen  them  ride  off  without  her. 

"  I  suppose  you  want  to  see  the  dogs,"  she  said,  turn- 
ing hastily  away  that  he  might  not  see  the  expression  on 
her  face. 

They  spent  some  time  watching  the  noble  St.  Bernard, 
the  general's  two  magnificent  greyhounds,  the  mastiff,  and 
Prince,  the  Newfoundland,  who  was  the  general  favor- 
ite. 

"  Why,  what  is  this  ?  "  exclaimed  Arthur,  moving  on 
to  the  next  kennel.    "  Not  a  do^,  but  a  fox,  as  I  live !  " 

"  Yes,  it  is  a  fox,"  said  Cora ;  "  but  he  is  a  genera! 
favorite,  perhaps  the  best-loved  animal  about  the  place, 
and  quite  tame,  I  assure  you.  You  see  he  knows  me  and 
loves  me  well." 

"  As  if  any  one  could  know  you  and  refrain  from 
loving  you,"  thought  Arthur,  looking  at  the  sweet,  dainty 
girl  by  his  side,  and  the  lovely  pink  and  white  dimpled 
face,  which  the  broad  sun-hat,  with  its  simple  wreath  of 
blue  corn-flowers,  half  revealed. 

But,  instead  of  uttering  the  words  that  sprung  to  his 
lips,  he  crushed  them  back,  saying: 

"  It  is  an  odd  animal  to  make  so  much  of.  It  must 
owe  its  place  in  the  kennels  to  an  accident.    Did  it  come 


CORA,  THE   PET   OF  THE  REGIMENT.  61 

to  Steal  your  chickens  and  get  caught  in  a  trap  ?  "  laughed 
Arthur, 

"  No.  I  will  tell  you  how  it  came  about.  The  story  is 
quite  interesting,  as  well  as  pathetic.  Although  papa  is 
not  as  young  as  he  used  to  be,  he  is  very  fond  of  young 
people  about  him.  Two  years  ago  he  invited  a  party  of 
young  gentlemen  up  from  the  city  to  enjoy  a  fox-hunt. 
He  secured  three  fine  specimens,  but  in  bringing  them 
here  two  escaped,  and  the  remaining  one  had  one  of  his 
legs  severely  injured. 

"  He  was  put  in  a  kennel  and  cared  for,  to  be  in  prime 
order  when  the  day  of  the  hunt  should  arrive.  One  of  the 
gentlemen  came  out  every  morning  to  look  after  him, 
until,  in  the  course  of  time,  the  animal  grew  to  know 
him. 

"  At  last  the  day  of  the  hunt  dawned  bright  and  clear. 
5^t  an  early  hour  the  gentlemen  were  mounted  on  their 
horses,  and  chatting  gayly  to  each  other  in  the  best  of 
spirits.  The  hounds  were  running  to  and  fro,  and  bay- 
ing with  impatience.  They  seemed  to  know  what  was 
coming,  and  were  anxious  for  the  fray. 

"  I  went  upstairs  and  shut  myself  in  my  room.  I  could 
not  bear  to  see  the  fox  let  loose  and  the  mad  chase  beg^n. 
It  seemed  like  cruelty  rather  than  sport. 

"  Colonel  Hart — that  was  the  gentleman  who  took 
such  an  interest  in  the  affair,  and  who  had  so  keenly 
watched  the  rapid  recovery  of  the  animal — at  length  an- 
nounced that  all  was  ready.  I  heard  the  bugle-call  and 
knew  that  they  were  off. 

"  I  will  tell  you  the  rest  of  the  narrative  in  Colonel 
Hart's  own  words : 

"  *  The  moment  the  bugle  sounded,  the  fox  was  off  like 
an  arrow  from  a  bow;  but  ere  he  had  leaped  the  first 


62  CORA,  THE   PET   OF   THE   REGIMENT. 

fence  we  were  after  him  in  close  pursuit,  scarcely  a  dozen 
rods  behind.  Over  fences,  ditches,  and  hedges  we  went 
at  a  mad  gallop,  the  horses  snorting  with  excitement,  the 
hounds  mad  in  pursuit  of  their  game. 

"  Surely — ay,  surely  and  steadily — they  are  gaining  on 
the  fox,  the  colonel  a  yard  in  advance,"  added  Cora, 
clasping  her  hands  together  in  the  excitement  of  telling 
the  story.  "  Another  leap,  and  yet  another,  and  the  fox 
would  be  overtaken  by  the  hounds. 

"  The  poor  animal  seemed  to  realize  its  peril.  One  in- 
stant, on  the  edge  of  a  rising  hill,  it  paused  and  cast  one 
terrified  glance  backward.  It  saw  the  dogs,  their  mad 
eyes  glaring,  eager  for  its  life-blood ;  it  saw  the  hunters, 
with  their  set  faces;  but  it  also  saw  the  familiar  face  of 
Colonel  Hart.  In  an  instant  the  poor  animal  recognized 
him  as  the  friend  who  had  come  to  the  kennel  every  day 
to  see  him. 

"  Before  any  one  had  the  slightest  intimation  of  what 
the  fox  was  about  to  do,  it  had  turned,  and  with  one  leap 
sprung  over  the  heads  of  the  excited  dogs,  and  landed 
directly  in  Colonel  Hart's  arms.  Quivering  with  fear,  the 
agonized  eyes  that  sought  his  seemed  to  say  in  almost 
mortal  language: 

"  '  Save  my  life !  They  want  to  kill  me !  I  trust  my 
life  to  you,  for  you  are  my  friend.' 

"  Colonel  Hart  stopped  short. 

" '  Gentlemen,'  he  said,  '  the  hunt  is  over.  I  would 
rather  sacrifice  my  right  arm  than  hunt  to  death  the  ani- 
mal that  has  put  its  life  in  my  hands,  that  trusts  me.  I 
shall  keep  this  fox  as  a  family  pet  as  long  as  he  lives.'  " 


CORA,   THE   PET   OF   THE  REGIMENT.  63 

CHAPTER  XII. 

"  This  poor  animal  has  had  a  strange  history,"  said 
Arthur  RolHns ;  "  he  ought  to  be  thankful  that  he  has 
fallen  into  such  good  hands.  You  have  a  very  kind  heart 
to  feel  such  sympathy  for  him." 

"  The  poor  fellow  appreciates  any  kindness  shown 
him,"  said  the  girl,  turning  away. 

They  sauntered  slowly  back  to  the  house,  chatting  as 
they  went.  Lyle  stood  at  the  open  window  of  the  morn- 
ing-room awaiting  their  approach.  There  was  a  danger- 
ous light  in  her  eyes,  and  the  smile  on  her  lips  was  not 
pleasant  to  see. 

She  had  changed  her  riding-habit  for  a  pretty  pink 
chambray,  and  looked  as  cool  and  fresh  and  fair  as  a 
rose,  with  her  floating  pink  ribbons,  that  matched  the 
deepening  rose-tints  in  cheek  and  lips. 

"  You  must  be  quite  tired,  Mr.  Rollins,"  she  said, 
archly.  "  I  should  have  thought  you  would  have  pre- 
ferred resting  a  little  while  on  the  cool  veranda ;  but  then, 
putting  all  thoughts  of  self  away  to  please  others  is  a 
virtue  with  you." 

"  I  did  not  know  you  were  so  tired,"  said  Cora,  apolo- 
getically. 

"  I  did  feel  a  little  tired  when  I  came  in,  but  I  grew 
so  interested  in  looking  over  the  kennels  that  I  quite  for- 
got it." 

"  A  soldier  ought  never  to  admit  that  he  is  tired," 
remarked  the  general's  daughter. 

At  luncheon  Lyle  was  gayety  itself.  A  man  would  have 
had  a  heart  of  stone  not  to  have  been  charmed  with  her. 

When  they  rose  from  the  table,  Cora  asked  Arthur  and 


64  CORA,   THE   PET   OF   THE   REGIMENT. 

Lyle  to  join  her  in  the  music-room,  to  look  over  some 
new  songs  which  she  had  just  received. 

"  Have  you  any  favorites,  Mr.  Rollins !  "  she  asked. 

He  shook  his  dark,  handsome  head. 

"  All  songs  are  pleasing  to  me,"  he  said,  "  if  they  are 
simple  and  sweet." 

Lyle  had  nothing  to  say. 

"  She  wants  to  show  him  that  she  is  up  in  music  and 
that  I  am  not,"  she  thought ;  "  but  in  this  she  will  find 
herself  mistaken." 

Cora  sat  dawn  to  the  instrument  first,  and  played  the 
most  difficult  selections  with  an  ease  and  grace  which 
showed  her  an  apt  pupil  of  the  grand  old  masters.  Arthur 
could  not  have  told  what  it  was,  but  he  knew  that  it  was 
the  melody  of  which  the  poets  sung,  which  made  the 
world  brighter,  and  his  heart  beat  quicker  for  having 
heard  it. 

The  little  hands  grew  tired  at  length,  though  Arthur 
could  have  listened  on  and  on  forever. 

"  You  play,  do  you  not,  Lyle  ?  "  she  asked,  suddenly. 

"  A  little,"  was  the  answer ;  "  not  by  note.  The  songs 
I  love  best  I  know  by  heart.  I  love  best  to  play  in  the 
twilight." 

At  that  moment  a  summons  came  for  Cora ;  the  gen- 
eral wanted  her. 

Lyle  was  secretly  delighted.  She  could  not  have  been 
called  at  a  more  propitious  time,  she  told  herself,  for  it 
left  her  alone  with  Arthur. 

"  Draw  your  chair  nearer  to  the  piano,"  she  said. 

He  did  as  she  requested.  He  never  forgot  that  hour. 
The  sunshine  drifting  in  from  the  open  windows,  the 
rich  odor  of  hyp^-inths  and  wild  roses  that  ran  riot  over 
the  lattice- work  outside,  the  beautiful  girl  seated  at  the 


CORA,  THE  PET  OP  THE  REGIMENT.  66 

piano,  and  the  voice  that  filled  the  spacious  room  with 
such  melody  as  he  had  never  heard  before. 

The  hours  flew  by  on  golden  wings,  and,  true  to  her 
promise,  Lyle  improved  them  as  the  honey-bee  the  golden 

light  that  falls  on  the  blooming  roses. 

Arthur  told  himself  that  no  man  was  ever  so  fortu- 
nate as  to  have  two  such  lovely  companions;  but  he 
could  not  find  time  to  exchange  a  single  word  with  Cora. 

Lyle  always  filled  up  the  breach  by  her  ready  wit  and 
the  happy  faculty  of  knowing  just  what  to  say  and  when 
to  say  it. 

"  I  prayed  that  the  night  might  be  lovely,"  she  said, 
as  they  strolled  out  into  the  grounds,  while  the  dusk 
crept  up  and  the  darkness  of  night  grew  on.  "  See,  there 
is  the  moon  rising  over  the  tops  of  that  belt  of  pine-trees 
yonder;  and  while  we  have  been  standing  here  the  stars 
have  come  out.    See,  the  heavens  are  studded  with  them." 

"  It  will  be  a  glorious  night  on  the  water,"  said  Cora, 
to  which  Arthur  fully  agreed. 

The  grounds  of  the  villa  ran  directly  to  the  bank  of 
the  Hudson.  They  found  the  little  white  skiff  rocking 
to  and  fro  as  though  chafing  at  restraint  and  anxious  to 
be  dancing  away  over  the  billows. 

Again,  as  though  by  chance,  Arthur  found  himself 
seated  with  the  oars  facing  Lyle.  A  few  deft  strokes 
sent  the  little  boat  flying  out  over  the  water. 

"  I  thought  I  was  an  adept  at  handling  a  boat,"  laughed 
Cora ;  "  but  I  really  could  take  lessons  from  you  with 
great  advantage,  Mr.  Rollins." 

"  My  home  was  on  the  bank  of  the  river.  I  spent  a 
great  deal  of  my  time  in  my  boat,"  replied  Arthur. 

"  I  suppose  you  are  an  expert  swimmer  ?  "  remarked 
Cora. 


66  CORA,  THE  PET  OF  THE  REGIMENT. 

**  I  have  been  accounted  a  very  fair  one,"  he  replied, 
modestly. 

"If  this  boat  should  tip  over,  which  one  of  us  would 
you  try  to  save  ?  "  asked  Lyle  in  a  bantering  tone. 

"  The  question  is  hardly  a  fair  one,"  declared  Arthur. 
"  I  should  do  my  best  to  save  both." 

"  Do  not  get  to  far  in  mid-stream,"  warned  Cora. 
"  The  Albany  boat  will  soon  come  steaming  up,  and  un- 
less we  get  back  nearer  shore  we  will  be  right  in  her 
way." 

"  It  looks  as  if  there  was  a  storm  coming  up,  too,"  said 
Arthur,  resting  on  his  oars  for  a  moment  and  scanning 
the  heavens. 

All  at  once  the  stars  seemed  to  die  out  of  the  sky,  and 
great  black  clouds  swept  over  the  moon. 

"  There  is  a  storm  coming,"  said  Arthur.  "  See  how 
the  wind  is  freshening,  and  there  is  a  dense  fog  creeping 
up.  I  am  afraid  it  will  be  down  upon  us  before  we  can 
reach  shore." 

It  took  but  a  moment  of  time  to  turn  the  little  boat; 
but  in  that  moment  a  dense  fog  seemed  to  rise  suddenly 
from  the  water  and  infold  them,  growing  so  dense  that 
he  could  not  see  even  Lyle's  face,  scarcely  three  feet 
from  him.    Arthur's  face  grew  white  with  anxiety. 

"  What  is  thatf  "  he  cried,  as  a  muffled  sound  reached 
his  ear. 

"  The  fog-horn,"  said  Lyle. 

"  Ah !  great  Heaven !  "  cried  Cora,  starting  to  her 
feet,  "  it  is  the  Albany  boat  bearing  down  upon  us !  It 
sounds  nearer  each  instant.    We  are  surely  lost !  " 


CORA,  THE  PET   OF  THE  REGIMENT.  67 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

"  Great  Heaven !  it  is  the  Albany  boat  bearing  down 
upon  us,  and  they  can  not  see  us  through  the  fog.  We 
are  lost — lost !  " 

Cora's  startled  cry  echoed  out  wildly  over  the  vast  ex- 
panse of  water. 

In  her  wild  excitement  she  had  sprung  to  her  feet. 
That  action  was  fatal.  In  a  twinkling  she  found  her- 
self struggling  in  the  water.  • 

Quick  as  a  flash,  Arthur  sprung  to  her  rescue,  and 
Lyle,  screaming  wildly,  clutched  the  side  of  the  boat, 
saving  herself,  by  the  barest  luck,  from  overturning  the 
skiflF  and  throwing  herself  into  the  water. 

She  realized  the  danger  as  her  terrified  ear  caught  the 
sound  of  the  fog-horn  of  the  approaching  steamer. 

In  that  moment  the  sense  of  self-preservation,  so 
strong  within  all  of  us,  took  possession  of  her.  Leaning 
quickly  forward,  she  grasped  the  oars  just  as  they  were 
sliding  from  their  locks.  One  or  two  strokes  of  the  oars, 
and  the  little  boat  whirled  out  over  the  waves.  Not  an 
instant  too  soon,  for  a  moment  later  the  steamboat  passed 
swiftly  over  the  spot  where  the  little  skiff  had  been. 

Some  one  on  deck  saw  the  miraculous  escape.  A  great 
cry  arose,  for  they  beheld  in  the  same  moment  two  dark 
forms  struggling  in  the  water.  Arthur  had  caught  the 
slender  form  in  his  herculean  grasp  just  as  the  girl  was 
sinking  for  the  third  and  last  time. 

He  saw  the  steamer,  and  he  struck  out  for  it.  In  an  in- 
stant there  was  the  greatest  confusion  on  deck.  Ropes 
were  thrown  out  to  him,  while  some  one  went  quickly  to 
the  assistance  of  the  terrified  girl  in  the  boat.  In  less 
time  than  it  takes  to  tell  it,  all  three  were  in  the  cabin 


68  CORA,  THE   PET   OF  THE   REGIMENT. 

of  the  steamer — Cora  in  a  dead  faint,  Arthur  weak  from 
exhaustion,  while  Lyle,  save  for  the  scare,  was  unhurt. 

"  That  was  indeed  a  narrow  escape,"  said  the  captain, 
as  he  led  Arthur  off  to  one  of  the  state-rooms. 

Meanwhile,  the  restoratives  which  had  been  applied 
had  taken  their  effect  upon  Cora.  Slowly  her  eyes 
opened.  Was  it  a  dream?  She  was  in  some  strange 
place,  the  face  of  Lyle  bending  over  her. 

"  What  has  happened  ?  "  she  whispered.  "  Where  am 
I?    Oh,  I  remember!    The  skiff — the  Albany  boat!  " 

Arthur  came  into  the  cabin  to  meet  them,  holding  out 
hands  anxiously  to  Cora.  To  see  her  standing  there  alive 
and  well  before  him  was  so  great  a  joy  that  it  fairly  took 
his  breath  away. 

He  could  not  find  words  in  which  to  tell  her  how  thank- 
ful he  was,  and  he  thought  of  the  mad  vow  that  he  had 
taken  when  he  sprung  from  the  skiff  into  the  wild  waters 
— if  he  could  not  save  her  he  would  die  with  her. 

And  when  they  came  up  the  garden-walk  that  led  to 
the  porch  of  Ormsby  Villa,  the  general,  who  sat  smoking 
in  his  high  willow  rocker,  never  dreamed  of  the  thrilling 
experience  through  which  they  had  passed. 

"Did  you  enjoy  your  row  on  the  river?"  he  asked, 
detaining  Lyle  after  the  others  had  passed  into  the  house. 

"  Not  so  very  much,"  she  said,  toying  nervously  with 
the  long  ribbons  of  her  hat ;  "  the  pleasure  would  have 
been  greater  had  you  been  with  us." 

"  Thank  you  for  that  pretty  little  speech,"  he  returned, 
gallantly,  raising  the  little  white  hand  to  his  lips.  "  I  as- 
sure you  that  the  pleasure  would  have  been  mine  had  I 
been  able  to  accompany  you — this  gout  is  very  provok- 
ing." 


CORA,  THE   PET   OF   THE   REGIMENT.  69 

Lyle  turned  her  head  away,  that  he  could  not  see  the 
sneer  on  her  red  lips. 

"  I  grew  worried  about  you  when  the  fog  came  up  so 
suddenly,"  he  said ;  "  but  I  felt  that  Cora  was  in  good 
hands  when  she  was  in  your  charge." 

Lyle's  dark  eyes  flashed.  "  I  suppose  he  thinks  me  a 
chaperon  instead  of  a  companion  for  his  daughter,"  she 
thought,  furiously ;  but  she  turned  to  the  general  with  a 
very  gracious  smile  on  her  lips : 

"Will  you  excuse  me  if  I  retire  to  the  house?"  she 
asked.    "  I  feel  a  little  tired." 

"  Certainly,"  he  responded,  gallantly ;  "  go  to  your 
own  room  by  all  means ;  don't  let  me  detain  you." 

He  looked  after  the  slim,  girlish  figure  with  a  weary 
expression  in  his  fine  old  eyes. 

"  Am  I  mad  that  I  should  hope  such  a  beautiful  crea- 
ture should  love  me  ?  "  he  muttered.  "  Sometimes  I  think 
that  it  is  impossible;  she  would  be  more  apt  to  care  for 
that  foolish  young  fellow  Rollins;  but  still.  Miss  Bitter- 
wood  can  not  be  mistaken.  Only  to-day  she  said  to  me 
jokingly — yet  I  think  she  meant  it — *  General,  I  think  you 
are  renewing  your  youth.  Unless  I  am  very  much  mis- 
taken, our  pretty  young  guest  is  falling  in  love  with  you.' 
If  it  wasn't  for  this  gout,  I  could  get  about  as  lively  as 
a  boy." 

He  rose  from  his  chair  and  attempted  to  skip  across 
the  porch,  but  old  age  and  the  gout  were  too  much  for 
him. 

At  the  first  nimble  step,  he  sunk  down  in  his  tracks 
with  a  cry  of  pain  that  brought  the  servants  to  his  aid  in 
a  hurry. 

The  upshot  of  the  matter  was  that  he  was  carried  help- 
lessly up  to  his  room,  and  put  to  bed  groaning  with  pain. 


70  CORA,  THE   PET   OF  THE   REGIMENT. 

It  would  be  a  fortnight  ere  he  could  appear  downstairs 
again. 

Lyle  made  the  most  of  this,  and  flirted  desperately  with 
Arthur  Rollins.  She  had  him  most  of  the  time  to  her- 
self, Cora  was  so  engrossed  in  the  care  of  her  father. 

The  fortnight  during  which  Cora  immured  herself 
in  her  father's  room  passed  drearily  enough  to  Arthur, 
despite  Lyle's  attractions.  When  three  days  passed  and 
she  had  not  put  in  an  appearance,  he  grew  desperate. 

"  She  does  not  care  to  see  me,"  he  argued  to  himself. 

Then  a  brilliant  plan  occurred  to  him.  He  would  set- 
tle the  doubt  in  his  heart  at  once. 

Going  to  his  own  room,  and  after  writing  and  tearing 
up  page  after  page,  he  succeeded  in  producing  the  fol- 
lowing note : 

"  Dear  Cora — The  three  days  in  which  you  have  ab- 
sented yourself  so  completely  have  been  days  of  endless 
torment  to  me.  If  you  do  not  appear  by  to-morrow,  I 
shall  feel  like  ending  my  visit  at  Ormsby  Villa  at  once. 
You  can  easily  understand  the  reason  why.  It  is  this :  I 
love  you,  Cora.  A  day  that  I  do  not  see  you  has  no 
sunshine  in  it  for  me.  It  brings  forcibly  to  me  the  terri- 
ble thought — what  if  the  time  should  ever  come  when  I 
could  see  you  no  more?  The  very  thought  brings  with 
it  a  fever  of  pain  so  great  that  it  seems  to  scorch  through 
to  my  very  heart.  Let  me  confess  to  you  on  this  white 
paper  the  secret  which  I  have  never  dared  to  tell  you 
when  I  was  in  your  presence.  Without  you  life  would  be 
unbearable  to  me.  When  I  have  attained  some  promi- 
nence in  military  life,  will  you  become  my  wife?  Per- 
haps I  do  not  couch  the  words  in  as  flowery  language  as 
some  men  could,  but  it  comes  from  the  depths  of  my 
heart,  and  makes  the  honest  words  a  prayer  to  you.  I 
send  with  this  little  note  two  roses — a  yellow  rose  and 
a  white  one.    If  your  answer  be  '  Yes,'  wear  the  white 


CORA,  THE   PET   OF  THE  REGIMENT.  71 

rose  on  your  bosom.  If  it  be  *  No,'  I  will  know  it  by 
seeing  the  yellow  one  there.  I  can  say  no  more;  words 
and  expressions  fail  us  when  the  heart  is  too  full.  How 
eagerly  I  shall  watch  for  your  decision  you  will  never 
fully  realize.  My  life,  my  future,  lie  in  the  issue. 
"  Yours  faithfully  in  life  or  in  death, 

"  Arthur." 

Hastily  sealing  the  note,  he  rang  for  one  of  the  ser- 
vants to  dispatch  it  to  Cora. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

It  so  happened  that  when  the  maid  entered  Cora's 
room  with  Arthur  Rollins'  note  and  the  two  roses,  there 
was  no  one  there  but  Lyle.  She  dropped  the  novel  she 
was  reading  and  looked  up  quickly,  recognizing  the  writ- 
ing at  a  glance  as  Arthur's. 

"  Are  they  for  me  ?  "  she  asked,  eagerly,  holding  out 
her  hands  for  them,  the  color  coming  and  going  on  her 
face. 

She  remembered  that  she  had  told  him  only  that  morn- 
ing how  fond  she  was  of  both  white  and  yellow  roses. 

"  No,  they  are  not  for  you,  miss,"  answered  the  maid ; 
"  they  are  for  Miss  Cora." 

Lyle's  face  grew  dark  and  stormy  with  rage.  When 
the  girl  had  quitted  the  apartment  she  crossed  the  room 
quickly,  seized  the  flowers,  and  was  about  to  fling  them 
upon  the  floor  and  stamp  upon  them,  but  she  controlled 
herself  by  a  great  eflFort. 

"  That  would  never  do,"  she  muttered ;  then  her  eyes 


^2  CORA,  THE   PET   OF   THE  REGIMENT. 

fell  upon  the  letter  which  accompanied  them.  "  What 
has  he  written  to  her,  I  wonder." 

The  temptation  to  know  its  contents  was  too  great  for 
Lyle  to  withstand.  Picking  up  a  sharp  pen-knife  which 
lay  upon  the  table,  she  ran  the  thin  steel  blade  so  deftly 
around  the  lightly  mucilaged  edge  that  it  yielded  at  once 
to  the  knife.  It  was  but  the  work  of  a  moment  to  draw 
the  written  pages  from  the  envelope  and  devour  their 
contents. 

"  A  confession  of  love ! "  she  shrieked  below  her 
breath.    "  He  asks  her  to  be  his  wife !  " 

Once,  twice,  thrice  she  read  the  letter  through,  her  face 
changing  from  one  of  beauty  to  that  of  a  fiend  incarnate. 

"  So !  "  she  cried,  "  all  my  labor,  all  the  smiles  I  have 
lavished  upon  him,  have  gone  for  naught.  I  can  not  win 
his  love  from  her;  but  one  thing  I  vow — if  I  can  not 
win  him,  she  shall  never  be  his  wife !  " 

But  what  should  she  do  with  the  letter?  Cora  might 
return  at  any  moment  and  see  it  in  her  hand. 

She  would  not  have  her  receive  that  letter  and  read  its 
contents  for  all  that  this  world  held. 

At  that  instant  she  heard  Cora's  light  footstep  in  the 
corridor  without.  Quick  as  a  flash,  she  thrust  it  into 
her  bosom,  but  not  an  instant  too  soon,  for  just  then  the 
door  opened  and  Cora  entered,  carrying  a  light  wicker- 
basket  in  her  hand. 

"  Ah !  you  are  here,  Lyle !  "  she  exclaimed ;  "  I  have 
been  looking  the  grounds  over  for  you.  No  one  would 
think  of  finding  you  indoors  on  a  day  like  this.  It  is  a 
perfect  June  day." 

Lyle  laughed  constrainedly. 

A  little  later  the  bell  rang  for  luncheon.  The  two  girls 
descended  the  stairs  to  the  dining-room. 


CORA,  THE  PET  OF  THE  REGIMENT.  73 

A  few  moments  later  the  door  opened  and  Arthur  en- 
tered. He  saw  that  Cora  and  Lyle  were  already  seated 
at  the  table. 

Lyle  made  some  kind  of  a  light,  laughing  remark  as  he 
seated  himself  at  the  table,  but  he  could  not,  to  have 
saved  his  life,  have  told  what  is  was  that  she  said. 

The  perfume  from  the  rose  that  Cora  wore  on  her 
bosom  reached  him.    Did  it  mean  happiness  or  despair? 

Although  Arthur  seemed  so  brilliantly  gay,  yet  Lyle 
noticed  that  he  did  not  eat  a  mouthful,  that  food  seemed 
to  choke  him.  When  the  meal  was  over,  Cora  rose  from 
the  table,  her  guests  following. 

"  Do  come  out  into  the  grounds,  Mr.  Rollins,"  said 
Lyle ;  "  I  have  something  to  show  you." 

He  would  have  given  the  world  for  the  sweet  privilege 
of  being  by  himself  in  that  hour,  but  he  could  not  possi- 
bly refuse.  There  was  no  way  out  of  it  but  to  accompany 
her. 

Would  Cora  go  with  them  ?  A  mad  hope  that  perhaps 
she  might  filled  his  heart ;  but  that  hope  died  away  in  his 
bosom  when  he  saw  the  general's  daughter  turn  away  in 
the  direction  of  the  corridor  and  ascend  the  stairs. 

"  Isn't  it  a  perfect  morning?  "  exclaimed  Lyle.  "  The 
birds  are  singing  and  the  air  is  heavy  with  the  perfume 
of  flowers." 

He  did  not  answer.  The  very  mention  of  flowers  made 
his  soul  sick  within  him.  Lyle  saw  the  sudden  pallor 
that  crossed  his  face,  and  her  brow  darkened. 

"  Mr.  Rollins,"  she  said,  laying  a  little  mite  of  a  hand 
on  his  white  arm,  "  something  has  gone  wrong  with  you. 
I  know  it,  I  feel  sure  of  it.  Won't  you  tell  me  what  it 
is?  Perhaps  I  could  help  you.  You  arouse  all  my  sym- 
nathies." 


74  CORA,  THE   PET   OF   THE   REGIMENT. 

"  What  a  strange  idea ;  you  are  inclined  to  be  notional," 
he  said. 

"  It  is  not  a  strange  idea,  it  is  the  truth,"  replied  the 
girl,  quietly. 

A  sudden  thought  came  to  him.  This  girl  was  so  sweet, 
and  so  gracious,  that  perhaps  she  could  aid  him  in  his 
great  difficulty.  An  impulse  v/hich  he  could  not  wholly 
account  for  urged  him  to  confess  his  secret  to  his  com- 
panion;  little  dreaming  of  the  sorrow  that. was  to  accrue 
from  it. 

"  I  will  take  you  at  your  word,  Miss  Warner,"  he  said. 
"  I  really  think  you  can  aid  me  if  you  will,  you  have  such 
good  judgment  and  tact.  What  would  you  do,  Miss 
Warner,  if  you  loved  some  one  very  dearly  and  she  did 
not  care  for  you  ?  " 

Lyle  started.  The  hand  on  his  arm  trembled  like  an 
aspen  leaf,  but  he  was  too  preoccupied  with  his  own 
thoughts  to  notice  it. 

"If  you  loved  some  one  better  than  life  itself,  and  were 
treated  kindly,  but  nothing  more,  what  would  you  do/'  he 
asked,  huskily,  "  to  gain  the  favor  of  the  one  whose  love 
meant  your  vital  happiness?  There  is  such  a  one  whom 
I  adore,  but  she  does  not  care  for  me.  I  would  give  my 
hfe  and  soul  to  win  her.  She  is  to  me  what  the  gladsome 
sunlight  is  to  the  dark  and  dreary  earth." 

"  Do  you  know  what  I  would  do  ?  "  said  Lyle  in  a  low, 
intense  voice.  "  Listen :  I  would  find  somebody  else  to 
make  love  to  if  I  were  you,  and  when  this  girl  whom  you 
adore  imagined  that  you  really  cared  for  another,  woman- 
like she  would  be  more  apt  to  want  you  then.  If  you 
can  only  once  arouse  jealousy  in  her  heart,  you  can  win 
her  love.    It  is  well  worth  trving." 


CORA,   THE   PET   OF   THE   REGIMENT.  75 

Arthur  looked  wonderingly  at  his  companion.  Surely 
such  a  way  to  win  a  girl's  love  seemed  strange  to  him. 

"  I  am  a  woman,  and  I  know,"  said  Lyle.  "  The  trial 
will  convince  you  that  I  have  advised  you  rightly." 


CHAPTER  XV. 

The  answer  which  Lyle  had  given  Arthur  Rollins  fairly 
took  his  breath  away.  She  repeated  it  so  that  she  would 
be  sure  to  understand  her. 

"  If  the  young  girl  is  coy  and  will  not  be  wooed,  and 
yet  beneath  that  cold  exterior  you  think  there  beats  a 
warm  heart  that  might  be  touched  with  love,  you  must 
try  to  win  her  by  strategy.  Make  desperate  love  to  some 
other  girl  when  she  is  around;  that  will  arouse  her 
jealousy,  and  where  there  is  jealousy  there  is  always 
love." 

Arthur  drew  his  breath  hard. 

"  It  seems  a  cruel  way  to  win  one's  affection,"  he  said ; 
"  but  perhaps  you  are  right.  You  know  the  way  of  win- 
ning a  girl's  heart.  I  may  as  well  tell  you  all.  The  faiC 
young  girl  whom  I  so  hopelessly  adore  is  your  friend, 
Cora  Ormsby." 

That  very  evening,  much  to  Arthur's  surprise,  he  re- 
ceived word  that  his  leave  of  absence  had  ended,  and 
that  he  was  expected  to  report  for  duty  at  once. 

"  I  must  have  a  little  talk  with  Cora  before  I  go,"  he 
said.  "  You  must  arrange  it  somehow  for  me,  Miss 
Warner." 

"  With  much  pleasure,"  she  said.    "  I  will  send  her  out 


76  CORA,  THE   PET   OF   THE   REGIMENT. 

to  you  on  the  balcony,  where  in  the  moonlight  you  can 
talk  to  her  to  your  heart's  content." 

"  You  are  good  to  me,"  he  said,  his  eyes  filling  with 
tears.  "  I  shall  never  forget  your  kindness  to  me.  Miss 
Warner." 

"  Do  not  mention  it,"  she  said,  waving  her  hand  to 
him,  as  she  disappeared  through  the  long,  open  French 
window  of  the  parlor. 

After  what  seemed  an  age  to  him,  he  heard  the  sound 
of  footsteps. 

The  footsteps  drew  nearer. 

'Arthur  paced  up  and  down  the  moonlit  balcony,  won- 
dering what  words  he  should  use  to  tell  her  of  the  great, 
overpowering  love  for  her  which  filled  his  soul. 

The  lace  draperies  were  flung  back,  and  Lyle,  not 
Cora,  stood  before  him. 

"  My  dear  Mr.  Rollins,"  she  said,  "  one  never  likes 
to  be  the  bearer  of  an  unkind  message ;  but  I  beg  of  you 
not  to  blame  me  for  it.  I  went  to  Cora's  room,  and  there 
I  found  her  busy  with  a  little  piece  of  fancy-work  which 
she  is  making  for  Captain  Lindsay.  When  she  heard 
my  errand,  her  anger  was  certainly  very  great. 

"  *  Go  to  him  and  tell  him  that  I  will  not  see  him,' 
she  said.    '  You  must  say  "  Good-bye  "  to  him  for  me.' 

"  All  expostulation  was  useless.  She  had  made  up 
her  mind,  and  would  not  change  it.  The  more  I  said,  the 
colder  and  haughtier  she  grew.  I  was  obliged  to  leave 
her  at  last,  with  that  answer  for  you.  I  am,  oh,  so  sorry ! 
I  beg  you  not  to  hold  me  responsible  for  the  words." 

Arthur  was  proud.  He  had  been  deeply  wounded  by 
the  girl  he  loved. 

There  was  great  consternation  in  the  household  next 
morning  when  the  general  received  the  note  Arthur  had 


CORA,  THE   PET   OF  THE  REGIMENT.  77 

left,  which  was  the  first  intimation  he  had  had  of  his  in- 
tended departure. 

"  However,  army  rules  are  not  to  be  trifled  with,"  he 
said  to  Cora  when  she  brought  him  the  letter. 

He  had  gone  without  so  much  as  saying  good-bye  to 
her.  What  could  it  mean?  What  could  she  have  done 
to  so  offend  him? 

"  I  will  write  and  ask  him,"  said  Cora  to  herself. 

Suiting  the  action  to  the  word,  she  went  straight  to 
her  desk  to  write  the  fatal  letter  that  was  to  wreck  two 
lives. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

When  Cora  sat  down  to  her  desk  to  write  the  letter,  but 
one  thought  occurred  to  her,  and  that  was — ^to  let  Arthur 
know  how  deeply  grieved  she  was  about  his  going  away 
without  exchanging  one  word  of  farewell  in  person. 

"  I  should  like  to  see  you  just  once  more,  and  to  find 
out  if  I  have  done  anything  to  offend  you.  If  you  will 
come  to  the  orchard  at  ten  p.  m.  to-morrow  we  can  talk 
the  matter  over.     Yours  very  sincerely, 

"  Cora." 

In  her  excitement,  and  in  writing  the  note  so  hur- 
riedly, she  did  not  see  the  terrible  mistake  she  had  made 
in  putting  down  "  p.  m.,"  which  meant  at  night,  in- 
stead of  writing  "  a.  m.,"  in  the  morning.  In  writing 
the  note  it  never  occurred  to  the  girl  that  she  was  doing 
anything  out  of  the  way. 

She  had  no  mother  to  advise  her,  and  a  young  girl 


78  CORA,  THE   PET   OF   THE   REGIMENT. 

never  thinks  of  taking  her  love  affairs  to  a  cross,  sick, 
gouty  old  father. 

Without  stopping  to  read  over  what  she  had  written, 
Cora  quickly  dispatched  the  note.  It  so  happened  that 
while  it  was  on  its  way  to  its  destination,  Arthur,  who 
had  forgotten  a  couple  of  books  which  he  had  left  in 
his  room,  was  hurrying  toward  the  villa.  There  was  the 
hope,  too,  in  his  heart  that  he  might  see  Cora. 

So  intent  was  he  with  his  own  thoughts  that  he  did 
not  see  the  dark  form  of  Captain  Lindsay  keeping  pace 
with  him  scarcely  a  rod  behind.  The  handsome  young 
cadet  had  gained  permission  for  an  hour's  leave  of  ab- 
sence, and  returned  to  the  villa. 

This  looked  remarkably  suspicious  to  the  captain. 

He  meant  to  see  the  outcome  of  it.  By  the  merest 
chance,  Arthur  took  the  path  that  led  to  the  rear  of  the 
grounds. 

As  he  reached  the  oak-tree  which  Lyle  had  mentioned 
as  having  a  deep  hollow  in  it,  wherein  she  was  to  put 
her  letters  for  him,  he  started,  and  the  desire  came  over 
him  to  examine  it.  Surely  it  could  do  no  harm.  Running 
his  hand  into  the  trunk  of  the  tree,  suddenly  it  came  in 
contact  with  a  bit  of  paper.  Drawing  it  out,  he  found  it 
to  be  an  envelope  addressed  to  himself.  He  saw  at  a 
glance  that  it  was  Lyle's  writing.  Why,  what  could  she 
have  to  write  to  him  about  in  so  short  a  time,  he  won- 
dered. The  envelope  contained  but  a  short  note.  He 
quickly  ran  his  eyes  over  its  contents,  which  were  as 
follows : 

"  Dear  Mr.  Rollins — Do  not  come  near  the  house 
nor  write,  for  reasons  which  I  will  explain  later  on." 


CORA,  THE   PET   OF   THE   REGIMENT.  79 

He  stood  quite  still  for  a  moment  and  stared  at  the 
note. 

How  lucky  a  thing  it  was  that  he  received  it  just  in 
time !  he  told  himself.  How  thoughtful  of  Lyle  to  write 
him !  But  what  could  it  mean,  he  wondered.  He  turned 
slowly  and  walked  back  to  camp. 

Captain  Lindsay,  who  followed  him,  had  watched  what 
had  taken  place  with  breathless  interest. 

Could  it  be  that  the  handsome,  dashing  young  cadet 
and  the  general's  daughter  were  keeping  up  a  clandestine 
correspondence  ? 

He  must  know  what  that  letter  contained,  he  told  him- 
self. 

He  knew  by  past  experience,  on  the  night  of  the  ball, 
that  Arthur  Rollins  was  his  equal  in  point  of  strength. 

He  could  not  take  it  from  him  in  a  hand-to-hand  en- 
counter. 

"  Ah !  I  have  it !  "  he  exclaimed.  "  He  will  read  it 
over  while  on  duty,  and  then  it  can  be  taken  from  him." 

Captain  Lindsay  took  a  shorter  cut  back  to  camp,  and 
reached  it  before  Arthur  did.  Thus  it  happened  that  he 
did  not  see  Arthur  take  Lyle's  letter,  tear  it  slowly  into 
minute  shreds,  and  fling  it  slowly  to  the  breeze. 

To  Arthur's  surprise,  he  found  Cora's  missive  await- 
ing him.  What  could  it  mean?  Cora  had  asked  him  to 
come,  while  Lyle's  note  particularly  urged  him  most  earn- 
estly to  remain  away  until  she  could  communicate  with 
him. 

Now,  which  should  he  do?  The  matter  troubled  him 
greatly. 

He  noticed  the  error  that  Cora  had  made  in  her  note 
regarding  the  time,  and  he  remarked  to  himself  what 
an  unpleasant  consequence  might  accrue  if  it  had  fallen 


80  CORA,  THE   PET   OF   THE  REGIMENT. 

into  any  one's  else  hands  and  they  had  been  inclined 
to  make  mischief  out  of  it. 

He  only  had  time  to  glance  quickly  over  Cora's  note 
ere  he  was  called  to  duty,  and  he  thrust  it  hastily  into 
his  breast-pocket,  to  read  again  at  the  first  moment  he 
could  do  so  without  being  observed. 

He  was  on  the  end  of  the  line  at  drill.  The  cadets 
were  all  resting  on  their  arms  for  a  moment,  when  the 
impulse  suddenly  came  to  him  to  glance  at  the  heading 
of  the  note  to  see  whether  Cora  had  said,  "  My  dear 
Friend,  Mr.  Rollins,"  or  if  she  had  begun  it  with  a 
formal  "  Mr.  Rollins,  Dear  Sir,"  when  he  felt  a  tap  on 
his  shoulder,  accompanied  by  a  deep  bass  voice  saying: 

"  Take  that  letter  to  the  officer  of  the  day !  " 

For  a  moment  Arthur  seemed  fairly  paralyzed. 

Turning  quickly,  he  found  himself  confronted  by  Cap- 
tain Lindsay,  whose  face  was  distorted  with  rage. 

"  What  is  that  which  you  have  in  your  hand  ?  "  he  de- 
manded— "a  letter?" 

"  Yes,"  answered  Arthur. 

"  Hand  it  to  me !  "  commanded  his  superior  officer. 

"  I  can  not,"  said  Arthur  in  a  low  voice  vibrating  with 
emotion. 

"  You  dare  refuse  ?  "  cried  Captain  Lindsay,  his  face 
fairly  livid  with  passion. 

"  In  this  instance,  I  must ! "  cried  Arthur  Rollins, 
firmly.  "  No  eye  shall  ever  read  this  letter  save  my 
own !  " 

"  For  the  last  time,  I  say,  give  me  that  letter,  or  I  shall 
have  it  taken  from  you  by  force !  " 

"  Never !  "  retorted  Arthur.  "  I  would  sooner  give  up 
my  life!" 

"  Put  Mr.  Rollins  under  arrest,  and  take  from  him 


CORA,  THE   PET   OF  THE  REGIMENT.  81 

the  letter  which  he  has  in  his  possession ! "  commanded 
Captain  Lindsay,  summoning  a  sergeant  who  was  pass- 
ing. 

Quick  as  a  flash,  Arthur  Rollins  tore  the  note  into  a 
thousand  shreds,  and  before  any  one  had  the  slightest 
idea  of  what  he  was  about  to  do,  crushed  the  bits  into 
a  hard,  compact  ball  and  swallowed  it,  thus  putting  it 
past  the  power  of  Captain  Lindsay  to  ever  find  out  the 
contents  of  the  note  which  Cora  Ormsby  had  written 
him. 

The  action  was  so  sudden  that  for  an  instant  it  al- 
most staggered  Captain  Lindsay.  He  saw  that  he  was 
baffled — ignominiously  bafi^ed  in  the  trap  he  had  set  to 
catch  the  handsome  cadet. 

In  less  time  than  it  takes  to  tell  it,  Arthur  Rollins 
found  himself  under  arrest,  charged  with  resisting  his 
superior  ofiicer  and  destroying  a  letter. 

General  Warburton,  the  commander  in  charge,  asked, 
sternly : 

"  What  have  you  to  say,  Mr.  Rollins  ?  " 

"  What  can  I  say,  sir  ? "  returned  the  young  cadet, 
earnestly. 

"  What  did  you  do  with  the  letter  in  question  ?  " 

"  Destroyed  it,"  came  the  answer,  calm  and  clear. 

"  Whom  was  it  from  ?  "  asked  General  Warburton. 

"  I  am  sorry  to  say  that  I  must  decline  to  tell,  sir,  as 
it  was  purely  of  a  personal  and  private  nature." 

"You  absolutely  refuse  to  reveal  its  contents?" 

Arthur  Rollins  turned  as  white  as  marble,  but  he 
looked  with  unflinching  eyes  at  his  superior  officer,  as  he 
replied : 

"  I  must  refuse,  sir." 


82  CORA,  THE  PET  OF  THE  REGIMENT. 

Very  calmly  he  received  the  order  to  go  at  once  to  his 

tent. 

Left  alone  by  himself,  Arthur  Rollins  bowed  his  head 
in  his  hands.  He  had  saved  the  fair  name  of  pretty  Cora, 
that  angel  among  girls.  He  did  not  care  what  they  did 
with  him  for  it;  he  would  willingly  have  laid  down  his 
life  for  her. 

A  week  passed,  and  Arthur,  in  close  confinement,  won- 
dered what  the  outcome  of  all  his  trouble  would  be.  The 
little  guard-house  in  which  he  paced  up  and  down  seemed 
like  a  veritable  prison  cell  to  him. 

He  was  used  to  vigorous  out-of-door  life,  and  being 
penned  up  in  the  narrow  guard-house  was  beginning  to 
tell  upon  him. 

He  little  dreamed  that  during  that  time  Captain  Lind- 
say was  doing  his  utmost  to  make  things  look  pretty 
black  for  the  handsome  young  fellow  who  had  sup- 
planted him  in  Cora  Ormsby's  favor,  whom  he  hated  with 
all  the  desperate  hatred  of  his  revengeful  nature. 

During  that  never-to-be-forgotten  week  Arthur  saw 
but  few  of  his  old  comrades.  He  never  dreamed  that  a 
terrible  story  was  being  circulated  among  his  companions 
— that  he  would  bear  watching. 

He  had  heard  the  rumor  that  several  of  the  cadets  had 
complained  that  they  had  lost  their  valuable  time-pieces. 
The  matter  had  been  kept  exceedingly  quiet,  in  the  hope 
of  tracing  them,  but  so  far  it  had  proved  unavailing.  At 
about  this  time  a  strange  event  happened  which  seemed 
to  play  directly  into  Captain  Lindsay's  hands. 

On  the  morning  of  the  day  of  Arthur's  arrest  a  most 
malicious  specimen  of  the  tramp  genus  was  found  loiter- 
ing about  the  grounds.  He  was  taken  into  custody.  A 
note  was  found  in  his  pocket  which  read  as  follows : 


CORA,  THE  PET  OF  THE  REGIMENT.  83 

"  I  can  not  see  you  just  now.  Wait  until  the  affair 
has  blown  over,  and  then  I  will  arrange  for  a  meeting." 

There  was  great  excitement  at  head-quarters  when  it 
was  discovered  that  this  man,  who  had  in  his  pocket  a 
note  from  Arthur  Rollins,  was  a  noted  New  York 
crook. 

While  they  were  making  investigations,  the  man  was 
suddenly  seized  with  apoplexy,  and  expired.  The  general 
believed  that  the  letter  which  young  Rollins  had  received 
was  from  this  man — ^that  its  contents  were  of  so  dan- 
gerous a  nature  that  he  was  obliged  to  resort  to  most 
desperate  methods  lest  it  should  be  discovered. 

General  Warburton  had  always  held  to  one  strict  rule : 
"  Believe  every  man  a  rascal  until  he  is  found  to  be 
otherwise." 

For  the  first  time  in  his  life  he  had  allowed  himself 
to  be  influenced  by  impressions.  He  had  been  strangely 
drawn  to  the  young  cadet  at  first  sight  when  he  had 
assisted  at  his  examination.  He  was  sorry  to  see  his 
downfall ;  but  he  hid  his  sympathy  under  a  very  stern 
exterior.  He  determined  to  try  an  experiment.  He 
waited  until  the  midnight  hour — at  the  time  when  only 
the  sentries  and  the  men  on  duty  were  about — ^then  he 
sent  for  young  Rollins. 

The  room  looked  strangely  weird  as  Arthur  entered  it 
in  charge  of  the  guard,  which  was  dismissed  at  the  door. 

"  You  will  step  this  way,  Mr.  Rollins,"  said  General 
Warburton,  in  his  most  severe  manner. 

The  young  man  obeyed.  He  saw  a  dark  form  on  a 
stretcher,  over  which  the  general  stood,  motionless  as  a 
statue.     He  approached  wonderingly. 

"  Can  you  tell  me  who  this  fellow  is  ?  "  said  the  gen- 


84  CORA,   THE   PET   OF  THE   REGIMENT. 

eral,  reaching  up  and  turning  a  flood  of  light  upon  the 
scene. 

One  glance,  and  Arthur  Rollins  staggered  back  as 
though  a  sword  had  pierced  his  heart. 

"  You  know  him,  then  ?  " 

Like  one  hearing  the  sentence  of  death,  the  young 
man  bowed  his  head  in  assent — ay,  bowed  his  head  until 
it  rested  on  his  breast,  as  though  he  never  cared  to  lift  it 
in  this  world  again. 

"  Who  is  he?    I  demand  the  truth!  " 

"  You  shall  have  it,  sir,"  answered  Arthur  Rollins, 
huskily. 

It  was  nearly  daylight  when  the  young  cadet  left  Gen- 
eral Warburton's  presence.  He  was  whiter  than  he 
would  ever  be  in  death. 

Would  General  Warburton  expose  him? 

"  If  he  does,  I  shall  kill  myself!  "  he  muttered. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

Long  after  Arthur  Rollins  had  left  him.  General  War- 
burton  sat  silent  and  motionless.  The  tramp  had  been 
quietly  and  deftly  removed,  and  there  was  none  to  ask 
whither  he  had  been  taken. 

When  the  sunlight  poured  into  the  room,  General 
iWarburton  still  sat  perfectly  motionless  with  his  head 
bent  on  his  hands. 

The  strange  story  which  the  young  man  had  divulged 
to  him  had  almost  taken  his  breath  away.  He  had  made, 
too,  a  wonderful  discovery  which  greatly  surprised  him. 

The  next  day,  very  much  to  the  chagrin  of  Captain 


CORA,   THE   PET   OF   THE   REGIMENT.  85 

Lindsay,  Arthur  Rollins  was  honorably  acquitted ;  he 
dared  not  question  his  superior  officer,  or  make  any  fuss 
over  the  outcome  of  the  matter. 

He  swore  to  himself  that  ere  another  fortnight  he 
should  find  something  else  against  Arthur  Rollins  which 
it  would  not  be  so  easy  for  him  to  explain.  Just  at  this 
critical  time  a  report  was  received  that  a  large  detach- 
ment was  to  be  sent  out  to  the  frontier  to  suppress  hos- 
tilities there.  Several  young  officers  were  detailed  from 
West  Point. 

General  Ormsby  was  in  command;  Captains  Hastings 
and  Lindsay  were  to  be  of  his  staff,  and  among  the  other 
names  that  were  enrolled  was  that  of  Arthur  Rollins. 

Captain  Lindsay  fairly  ground  his  teeth  with  impotent 
rage.  There  was  no  way  in  which  he  could  get  Arthur 
Rollins'  name  struck  off,  he  well  knew.  His  anger  was 
all  the  more  intense  when  he  learned  that  there  was  a 
likelihood  of  General  Ormsby  taking  his  daughter  Cora 
to  the  frontier  with  him,  and  perhaps  the  general's  ward, 
Lyle  Warner,  would  accompany  them. 

For  this  reason,  if  for  no  other,  there  was  not  a  man  at 
the  Point  but  would  have  given  anything  in  the  world 
to  have  gone  on  that  expedition. 

Regiments  were  constantly  being  sent  to  the  far  West, 
and  the  departure  of  the  boys  in  blue  under  command 
of  General  Ormsby  attracted  the  usual  attention. 

At  last,  with  many  a  "  God-speed,"  they  were  fairly 
on  their  way.  It  was  a  journey  never  to  be  forgotten. 
The  ladies  who  accompanied  the  regiment  declared  it  was 
simply  charming.  Staging  over  the  mountains,  following 
the  narrow  road,  where  one  misstep  of  the  mountain 
mules  would  mean  certain  death  in  the  chasm  thousands 


86  CORA,   THE   PET   OF  THE   REGIMENT. 

of  feet  below,  lent  a  spice  of  excitement  to  those  who 
traveled  over  the  ground  for  the  first  time. 

At  last,  one  morning,  when  the  sun  was  just  rising  over 
the  belt  of  cottonwood  in  the  east,  the  alkaline  wastes 
of  Wyoming  Valley  spread  out  before  them,  with  the 
thread-like  stream  of  the  Beaver  River  winding  along 
like  a  serpent  of  silver  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach, 
with  Fort  Hadley  to  the  right  of  it,  in  the  blue,  hazy 
distance,  they  reached  their  destination. 

The  white  covered  wagons,  this  strange  mode  of  trav- 
eling, delighted  Lyie.  Stopping  wherever  noon  or  night 
overtook  them  to  cook  or  to  sleep,  was  a  wild,  romantic 
life  that  she  had  never  dreamed  of. 

From  the  very  first  moment  of  their  starting,  Arthur 
Rollins  had  tried  to  secure  a  few  moments'  conversation 
with  Cora,  to  explain  to  her  why  he  had  not  kept  the 
appointment  which  he  had  made ;  but  every  effort  was 
balked  by  the  sudden  appearance  upon  the  scene  of  either 
Lyle  Warner  or  Captain  Lindsay,  to  say  nothing  of  Cap- 
tain Hastings,  who  hung  about  Cora  like  a  veritable 
shadow. 

That  Captain  Lindsay  heartily  detested  Arthur  Rollins 
v/as  known  to  more  than  one  of  the  boys  of  the  regi- 
ment ;  and  they  could  readily  understand  why,  too,  when 
they  saw  that  Cora  Ormsby,  the  general's  pretty  daughter, 
blushed  confusedly  and  turned  away  whenever  her  eyes 
and  Arthur's  met. 

The  occasion  of  the  re-enforcement  of  General  Orms- 
by's  regiment  caused  great  commotion  at  Fort  Hadley, 
especially  as  there  were  young  ladies  among  the  arrivals, 
and  the  prettiest  girls  imaginable. 

These  maids  and  matrons  looked  with  glaring  eyes 
of   fury  at  the  young  and  pretty  girls  whom  General 


CORA,   THE   PET   OF   THE   REGIMENT.  87 

Ormsby  had  brought  with  him,  registering  a  vow  that 
they  would  make  it  as  unpleasant  for  them  as  they  could, 
and  they  would  be  glad  to  leave  Fort  Hadley  and  return 
to  their  own  domain  in  the  East. 

There  was  much  discussion  over  the  new  arrivals  that 
night  on  the  piazza  of  Mrs.  Raymond,  the  young  wife 
of  the  major,  who  had  brought  her  sister,  Julia  Gordon, 
out  with  her  to  get  the  best  catch  of  the  fort.  It  was 
true  that  Miss  Gordon  was  not  quite  as  young  as  she 
once  was.  Her  married  sister  always  impressed  upon 
every  one  that  Julia  was  a  mere  child — only  eighteen ;  but 
there  was  not  a  man  in  camp  who  did  not  have  the  secret 
suspicion  that  the  mere  child  was  nearer  eight-and- 
twenty  than  eighteen. 


CHAPTER  XVni. 

Major  Raymond  entered  the  house  hurriedly. 

"  You  are  wanted  at  head-quarters,"  he  said,  hurriedly. 
"  All  the  ladies  are  gathering  there.  They  are  talking 
about  giving  a  ball  to-morrow  night  in  honor  of  the  new- 
comers." 

"  Why,  we  had  a  hop  only  last  week,"  declared  Mrs. 
Raymond,  with  a  toss  of  her  head. 

"  Now,  don't  go  over  there  and  say  anything  to  op- 
pose it,"  said  her  husband,  seeing  that  she  was  decidedly 
against  the  idea.  "  You  know  they  gave  one  for  you 
when  you  and  your  sister  came." 

Mrs.  Raymond  shrugged  her  shapely  shoulders. 

"  I  suppose  they  will  have  the  ball  whether  I  assent 
or  not,"  she  said. 


88  CORA,   THE   PET   OF   THE   REGIMENT. 

Throwing  a  light  scarf  over  her  head,  and  motioning 
her  sister  to  follow,  Mrs.  Raymond  whisked  out  of  the 
room. 

She  found  all  the  ladies  of  the  garrison  gathered  to- 
gether in  great  excitement  over  the  projected  festivity. 
Neither  Cora,  Lyle,  nor  Miss  Bitterwood  was  present. 
They  had  sought  a  little  rest  in  their  cottage  at  Officers' 
Row,  and  had  retired  at  once  to  sleep  off  the  fatigue  of 
their  journey.  Messengers  were  sent  out  at  once  to  all 
the  adjoining  forts,  that  all  the  officers  and  their  ladies 
might  be  present  at  the  great  event  of  the  season,  to  wel- 
come the  lovely  Eastern  girls  and  the  crack  regiment 
from  West  Point. 

**  I  am  sorry  that  they  went  to  all  this  trouble,"  de- 
clared General  Ormsby,  "  for  I  shall  not  be  able  to  attend, 
I  fear.  My  rheumatism  and  gout  are  getting  the  best 
of  me." 

"  But  Cora  and  Lyle  looked  forward  to  it  with  all  the 
eagerness  that  young  girls  experience  in  such  affairs. 

The  officers  at  Fort  Hadley  had  kept  the  secret  of  the 
great  ball  very  closely,  that  it  might  not  be  known  among 
the  Indian  villages  some  twenty  miles  distant.  But  for 
all  their  caution,  the  intelligence  had  reached  them,  and 
a  secret  conference  was  held  at  the  great  Indian  wigwam. 
What  would  it  portend?     Who  could  say? 

The  great  chief,  Blackhawk,  shrugged  his  huge  shoul- 
ders ominously,  as  he  said : 

"  Let  the  white  men  dance  to-night ;  the  Indians  shall 
dance  there  when  the  sun  rises.    Wait  and  see !  " 


CORA,  THE   PET   OF   THE  REGIMENT.  89 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

Every  one  was  on  the  qui  vive  of  expectation  about 
the  grand  ball  which  was  to  take  place  that  evening. 

The  ladies  of  the  garrison  could  think  of,  talk  of  noth- 
ing else. 

All  the  pretty  white  dresses  and  fleecy  mulls  and  gay 
ribbons  in  their  possession  were  gone  over  carefully,  for 
every  woman,  as  well  as  every  young  girl,  wanted  to  look 
their  best  on  this  gala  occasion. 

Captain  Lindsay  presented  himself  early  at  General 
Ormsby's  for  Cora. 

"  Girl-like,  she  is  not  ready,"  said  the  general.  "  It's 
strange  how  much  time  they  take  to  fuss  over  their  curls 
and  furbelows.  A  man  can  get  ready  for  the  most  im- 
portant occasion  in  ten  minutes.  It  seems  almost  in- 
credible to  me  that  women  should  want  to  take  as  manv 
hours.    Ah !  here  she  comes  now,  the  little  witch !  " 

At  that  moment  Cora  entered  the  room,  radiant  as  a 
dream  in  her  fleecy  dress  of  spotless  white,  with  a  spray 
of  wild  flowers  at  her  belt  and  intwined  in  her  golden 
curls. 

If  Captain  Lindsay  admired  her  before,  he  fell  head 
over  heels  in  love  with  her  now,  as  he  gazed  with  ad- 
miration at  the  airy,  fairy  creature  who  advanced  to 
meet  him. 

His  heart  thrilled  through  and  through  as  the  tips  of 
the  little  pink  fingers  rested  in  his  palm  for  one  brief 
second.  Before  he  had  time  to  clasp  them  closer,  they 
were  hurriedly  drawn  away  from  him. 

The  girl  said,  coldly : 

"  I  am  ready.  Captain  Lindsay.  Good-bye,  papa ;  " 
and  sTie  threw  her  arms  around  the  old  general's  neck 


90  CORA,  THE   PET   OF  THE  REGIMENT. 

and  laid  her  fresh,  warm  cheek  against  his.  "  You  will 
not  be  lonely,  will  you,  dear  ?  " 

"  No,"  he  answered.  "  Go  and  dance  and  have  a  good 
time,  and  break  the  hearts  of  all  the  fellows  of  the  gar- 
rison, and  your  old  father  will  sit  on  the  porch  and 
listen  to  the  music  as  it  floats  back  to  him.  If  I  don't 
fall  asleep,  I  may  take  a  look  in  before  the  affair  breaks 
up." 

"  Do,  papa !  "  exclaimed  Cora.    "  I  shall  look  for  you." 

"  Don't  spoil  a  good  time  by  having  me  on  your  mind," 
called  the  general. 

"  Isn't  it  a  glorious  night  ?  "  said  Captain  Lindsay,  as 
he  paused  on  the  porch  for  an  instant.  "  Not  a  cloud  in 
the  sky,  the  moon  at  its  full,  and  the  stars  so  large  and 
bright  that  they  seem  like  glittering  diamonds  twinkling 
in  the  azure  blue.  Shall  we  take  a  stroll  about?  It  is 
early  yet,  and  the  night  is  excessively  warm." 

"  No,  Captain  Lindsay,"  said  Cora,  "  I  prefer  not.  As 
I  am  to  be  one  of  the  guests  of  honor,  it  would  look 
better  to  be  there  early  instead  of  late." 

He  bit  his  lip. 

"  It  is  such  a  pity  to  go  in-doors  a  night  like  this,"  he 
said. 

"If  you  would  enjoy  a  stroll  so  much,  Captain  Lind- 
say, you  can  come  out  again  after  you  leave  me  at  the 
ball,  and  you  can  stroll  about  to  your  heart's  content." 

He  eagerly  caught  the  little  hand  that  lay  lightly  on 
his  arm. 

"  Do  you  not  know  that  it  is  the  company  one  has 
with  one  that  makes  moonlight  strolls  either  a  heaven  on 
earth  or  unbearably  tedious?  If  you  were  in  the  ball- 
room, all  my  interest  would  be  centered  there." 


CORA,   THE   PET  OF  THE  REGIMENT.  91 

"  Captain  Lindsay,"  exclaimed  Cora,  "  I  do  not  like  to 
have  you  talk  to  me  so !    It  is  not  pleasant." 

"  It  would  be  pleasant  for  almost  any  other  girl  ac- 
quaintance of  mine  to  hear  those  words  from  my  lips," 
he  retorted,  bitterly. 

"  Possibly,"  said  Cora ;  "  but  it  does  not  follow  that  I 
should  be  interested  in  them." 

"  You  would  have  cared  for  me  if  it  had  not  been  for 
that  miserable  fellow  Rollins !  "  he  declared,  haughtily. 

The  girl  angrily  drew  her  hand  from  his  arm. 

"  A  person  who  speaks  ill  of  Mr.  Rollins  in  my  pres- 
ence— the  man  who  saved  my  life — can  not  hope  to  re- 
tain my  esteem." 

"  We  must  not  quarrel  over  this  matter,"  said  the  Cap- 
tain. "  I  wish  you  would  promise  me  one  thing,"  he 
went  on  suddenly,  "  if  you  never  grant  me  another  favor 
in  your  life." 

"  What  is  that  ?  "  asked  Cora,  wonderingly. 

"  That  is,  promise  you  will  not  dance  with  Arthur 
Rollins  at  the  ball  to-night." 

He  saw  the  girl's  cheeks  flush  as  crimson  as  the  wild 
roses  she  wore  at  her  belt,  and  the  flush  creep  to  the 
roots  of  her  golden  hair.  How  was  he  to  know  that  it 
had  been  her  one  hope,  ddy  and  night,  ever  since  she 
had  first  heard  of  the  ball,  that  she  would  see  Arthur 
there,  and  dance  with  him? 

"  I  shall  not  promise  anything  of  the  kind." 

A  sudden  thought  came  to  him. 

"  Will  you  grant  me  this  favor,  then :  that  you  will 
give  me  all  the  square  dances?" 

She  hesitated  a  moment.  Surely  she  could  not  make 
any  mistake  in  giving  that  promise. 

"  I  do  not  mind  making  an  agreement  for  that,"  she 


92  CORA,  THE   PET   OF  THE  REGIMENT. 

said,  "  seeing  you  are  my  escort,"  thinking  they  certainly 
would  not  have  more  than  two  or  three  of  them  during 
the  entire  evening. 

"  It  is  so  good  of  you,"  he  murmured.  "  How  can  I 
thank  you  ?  " 

By  this  time  they  had  reached  the  garrison.  The 
music  and  the  hum  of  voices  told  them  that  a  goodly 
number  of  guests  had  already  arrived.  The  entrance  of 
General  Ormsby's  lovely  daughter  and  Captain  Lindsay 
created  a  great  furor,  and  as  they  saw  Cora  that  night, 
many  of  them  remembered  her  to  the  last  day  of  their 
lives.  Even  the  officers'  wives,  who  were  inclined  to  be 
jealous  of  her  when  they  had  heard  of  her  youth  and 
great  beauty,  could  not  help  but  admire  her. 

The  front  door  of  the  general's  cottage  had  scarcely 
closed  after  Cora,  ere  Lyle  glided  down  to  the  living- 
room  from  whence  she  had  heard  the  sound  of  General 
Ormsby's  voice. 

"  All  alone,  and  in  the  dark,  general  ? "  she  asked, 
sweetly,  as  she  glided  to  his  side. 

"  Yes ;  I  was  waiting  for  you  to  come  down,"  he  an- 
swered. "  We  can  take  our  chairs  out  on  the  porch  and 
have  a  long,  quiet,  uninterrupted  talk." 

"I  should  enjoy  it  by  all  means,"  murmured  Lyle; 
"  but  first  let  me  mix  you  a  glass  of  toddy — you  say  you 
like  the  way  I  make  it." 

"  Yes,  indeed !  "  he  answered,  eagerly,  "  you  are  the 
only  one  who  knows  enough  to  put  plenty  of  rum  in  it. 
I  like  it  hot  and  strong,  with  only  a  little  lemon  flavor." 

In  less  time  than  it  takes  to  tell  it,  Lyle  had  prepared 
the  beverage.  He  did  not  notice  that  she  slipped  a  white 
powder  into  the  contents  of  the  glass.    He  drank  it  at  a 


CORA,   THE   PET  OF  THE  REGIMENT.  93 

single  draught,  smacking  his  lips,  and  declaring  it  was  the 
finest  he  had  ever  tasted. 

Five  minutes  more  and  he  began  to  nod.  Ten  minutes, 
and  he  was  fast  asleep. 

"  He  will  not  waken  till  broad  daylight  to-morrow," 
muttered  Lyle.  "  Sit  and  talk  with  you,  indeed !  "  she 
continued.    "Bah!" 

Flying  to  her  room,  she  had  barely  time  to  change 
her  dress  ere  Arthur  Rollins  came  for  her. 

"  Of  course  Cora  is  making  herself  the  belle  of  the 
ball,"  she  thought. 

This  was  quite  the  case.  Each  one  of  the  officers'  wives 
was  forced  to  admit  to  herself  that  the  general's  lovely 
daughter  was  as  sweet  and  good  and  kind  of  heart  as  she 
was  fair  of  face. 

Even  Julia  Gordon  could  not  help  feeling  kindly  in- 
stead of  hostile  toward  her. 

"Where  is  your  friend,  Miss  Lyle  Warner?"  asked 
one  of  the  ladies.  "  Surely  she  will  be  here  this  evening, 
will  she  not?" 

"  Oh,  yes,"  said  Cora ;  "  she  will  come  later.  Ah !  there 
she  is  now !  "  she  exclaimed,  as  the  door  opened  to  admit 
the  tall,  slender  figure  leaning  upon  the  arm  of  Arthur 
Rollins. 

There  was  a  momentary  hush.  Neither  the  officers 
nor  their  wives  had  ever  seen  anything  like  it.  She  was 
like  an  old  picture  stepping  out  of  a  frame.  Her  dress 
was  one  of  azure  mull,  deepening  into  the  bluer  shades  of 
violet,  while  from  the  clouds  of  lace  her  white  shoulders 
and  graceful  neck  rose  like  the  stem  of  a  lily.  Her 
raven-dark  hair  was  done  up  high  on  her  shapely  little 
head  with  a  cluster  of  pansies  that  were  knotted  at  either 


94  CORA,  THE   PET   OF   THE   REGIMENT. 

shoulder,  and  which  lay  half  hidden  in  the  meshes  of 
lace  on  her  breast. 

Cora  looked  at  her  in  wonder  from  across  the  room. 
She  had  never  beheld  anything  quite  so  striking.  Up  to 
the  last  moment  Lyle  had  declared  that  she  had  not  the 
least  idea  what  she  should  wear,  and  that  it  was  a  pity 
to  wear  anything  one  cared  for  before  army  officers  and 
their  wives. 

"  My  dress  shall  not  trouble  me,"  she  repeated,  as 
though  it  were  a  matter  of  very  little  concern  what  she 
wore. 

No  wonder  that  Cora  was  astounded  to  see  her  appear 
in  the  grandest  costume  she  had  ever  laid  her  eyes  on 
outside  of  West  Point  or  the  metropolis.  How  hand- 
some Arthur  Rollins  looked!  A  great  pang  of  jealousy 
shot  through  her  heart  as  she  saw  Lyle  leaning  on  his 
arm  so  radiantly  happy. 

"  He  loves  her !  "  she  murmured.  "  Ah !  how  could 
he  help  it!  She  is  the  most  gloriously  beautiful  being 
that  I  have  ever  beheld." 

Her  lips  quivered,  but  she  would  not  let  the  tears  fall, 
so  great  was  her  pride. 

When  she  saw  Arthur  whirling  by  in  the  dance,  she 
turned  to  Captain  Lindsay,  saying  falteringly : 

"You  asked  me  for  a  waltz  just  now,  and  I  told  you 
that  I  was  too  tired.  I  have  changed  my  mind.  I  had 
only  intended  to  dance  the  square  dances  to-night,  but  I — 
I  will  waltz  with  you  now  if  you  still  care  for  it." 

"  Care  for  it  ?  It  will  be  heaven  on  earth  for  me," 
whispered  the  captain,  delightedly. 

Just  at  that  moment  Arthur  had  excused  himself  to 
Lyle,  and  had  started  in  search  of  Cora,  whom  he  in- 
tended to  ask  for  the  waltz  that  had  just  struck  up.    He 


CORA,   THE   PET  OF  THE  REGIMENT.  95 

turned  white  to  the  lips  when  he  saw  her  whirling  by  in 
his  rival's  arms. 

The  sight  was  more  than  he  could  calmly  endure.  How 
dared  he  ask  Cora  to  dance;  and  yet,  why  not?  Was 
she  not  known  to  be  heart  whole  and  fancy  free?  He 
must  see  her  before  the  evening  was  over  and  have  some 
kind  of  understanding  with  her.  Despite  Lyle's  warning, 
the  pain  in  his  heart  to  see  another  smiling  on  her  was 
more  than  he  could  bear.  The  anguish  of  hope  deferred 
was  making  him  sick  to  the  very  soul.  He  would  wait 
until  the  dance  was  ended  and  seek  Cora. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

After  several  futile  attempts  to  gain  a  few  moments' 
conversation  with  Cora,  Arthur  Rollins  said  to  himself 
that  he  must  wait  until  the  girl  evinced  some  evidence  of 
wishing  to  speak  with  him. 

Arthur  Rollins  could  not  bear  to  see  Cora  and  Captain 
Lindsay  apparently  enjoying  themselves  so  much.  He 
wished  to  Heaven  he  had  not  come  to  the  ball.  The  air  of 
the  room  seemed  stifling  to  him.  He  longed  for  a  turn  or 
two  out  on  the  greensward,  in  the  soft  glow  of  the  moon- 
light, where  he  could  commune  with  his  own  thoughts, 
undisturbed  by  the  babble  of  meaningless  voices — where 
he  would  be  beyond  the  sound  of  the  empty  compliments 
of  the  men  and  the  shrill  laughter  of  the  ladies. 

Both  Lyle  and  Cora  saw  him  as  he  slipped  out  of  the 
room,  quite  unobserved,  as  he  thought. 

Lyle  was  waltzing  with  Captain  Lindsay,  and  Cora, 


96  CORA,  THE   PET   OF  THE   REGIMENT. 

surrounded  by  a  group  of  admirers,  stood  underneath  an 
arch  of  flags. 

Arthur  paced  up  and  down  the  long  porch,  lost  in 
deep  thought. 

He  felt  that  he  was  not  the  only  man  in  the  world 
whose  life-dream  had  been  blighted.  Ah!  if  he  could 
but  do  some  great  and  valiant  deed  whereby  she  might 
be  proud  of  him,  he  might  yet  win  her  love.  But  oppor- 
tunity never  comes  to  those  who  seek  it  so  eagerly. 

He  stopped  a  moment  by  one  of  the  great  pillars  of 
the  piazza,  and  looked  thoughtfully  out  over  the  somber 
landscape.  A  great  hush  lay  on  the  brown,  barren 
plain ;  not  even  a  night  bird  was  on  the  wing,  hieing  to 
its  home ;  the  leaves  of  the  cottonwood-trees  were  stilled. 

Suddenly,  as  Arthur's  keen  eyes  roamed  over  the  plain, 
he  saw  in  the  distance  a  black  streak,  like  a  long  shadow 
or  a  fallen  tree. 

"  That  is  strange,"  he  muttered,  quite  forgetting  him- 
self for  a  moment.  "  I  did  not  notice  that  log  there  to- 
day, and  I  came  into  camp  from  that  direction.  I  was 
tired  enough,  and  I  would  have  sat  down  there  to  have 
rested  and  brushed  up  a  bit  before  coming  into  the 
range  of  Cora's  vision." 

Was  it  only  his  fancy,  he  wondered,  or  did  the  log 
seem  longer  and  a  trifle  nearer  than  when  he  had  first 
observed  it? 

"  I  am  losing  control  of  myself,"  he  muttered ;  "  I  am 
growing  as  fanciful  as  a  woman — I,  who  used  to  have 
such  cool,  steady  nerves.  Perhaps  it  is  the  wide  range 
of  vision  which  aflPects  me  so  curiously.  I  think  my 
eyes  are  deceiving  me.  That  log  seems  still  nearer  and 
longer.     It  is  amazing  to  me  that  there  are  such  high 


CORA,   THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT.  97 

trees  around  here.  I  am  sure  I  have  not  noticed  them. 
Great  God !  am  I  mad,  or  do  I  dream  ?  There  are  a  dozen 
logs  in  sight !  and,  merciful  Heaven,  they  are  moving ! " 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

For  a  moment  it  seemed  to  Arthur  Rollins  that  his 
eyes  must  be  deceiving  him.  The  more  he  strained  his 
eyes  to  gaze,  the  more  confused  he  became.  The  dark 
objects  seemed  to  him  innumerable. 

But  one  solution  presented  itself  to  his  mind,  and  that 
was — the  Indians! 

Arthur's  face  blanched.  He  realized  in  an  instant  what 
was  about  to  happen. 

There  was  not  an  instant  to  be  lost.  In  less  time  than 
it  takes  to  tell  it,  he  had  ran  to  the  ball-room,  into  which 
he  leaped  through  the  nearest  window. 

"  The  Indians  are  coming !  "  shouted  Arthur.  "  The 
fort  is  being  surrounded !  " 

In  an  instant  the  festivity  was  turned  into  a  scene  of 
the  wildest  commotion.  The  women  did  not  faint,  or 
cry  out,  or  utter  any  moan.  They  were  the  wives,  sis- 
ters, and  daughters  of  soldiers.  They  had  come  to  the 
wild  and  rugged  frontier,  fully  realizing  the  perils  of  the 
life  they  had  undertaken — perils  that  might  beset  them 
at  any  moment.  They  were  ready  to  face  the  horrors 
of  war — of  death,  if  need  be — at  the  sound  of  a  bugle- 
call. 

With  one  accord  they  crept  together,  rot  daring  to  lift 
their  voices  to  hold  their  loved  ones  from  duty's  call  in 
that  trying  moment. 


98  CORA,   THE   PET   OF   THE   REGIMENT. 

Like  a  flash  the  officers  and  men  had  sprung  from  their 
partners'  sides  in  the  dance,  even  before  Major  Ray- 
mond's voice  rang  out  the  order: 

"  Turn  out,  every  man  of  you — lively !  Carbines  and 
revolvers !     Jump  to  arms !  " 

Across  the  ball-room  sprung  the  laughing,  chaffing, 
boisterous  crowd  of  a  moment  before.  Away  they  rushed 
to  the  gun-racks,  grabbed  their  carbines  and  revolvers, 
hurriedly  buckled  their  cartridge-belts  around  their 
waists,  and,  leaping  down  the  stairs,  formed  ranks 
quickly. 

The  rattle  of  musketry  was  followed  by  the  wild, 
savage  yells  of  the  Indians. 

Oh !  those  gallant,  loyal  hearts !  One  by  one  they  are 
lost  to  view.  They  take  the  last  look  upon  their  com- 
rades. Obedient  to  their  leader's  order,  loyal,  steadfast, 
unmurmuring  to  the  bitter  end,  they  press  forward. 

One  by  one  the  officers  are  picked  off.  Where  is  Cap- 
tain Lindsay?  They  saw  him  in  the  ball-room  but  a  mo- 
ment before.  It  is  evident  that  he  has  deserted  the  ranks 
in  the  moment  of  peril.  Down  goes  the  colonel  and  the 
major. 

"  Take  command ! "  cried  Major  Raymond,  faintly, 
calling  out  Arthur  Rollins'  name. 

He  did  take  command.  Through  the  bullets  that  flew 
like  hail-stones  Arthur  sprung  to  the  front,  urging  the 
men  on  like  a  tried  veteran.  Thank  Heaven !  he  had  not 
taken  the  lead  an  instant  too  soon.  Into  the  very  teeth 
of  it,  rallying  the  men  oh  all  sides  of  him,  he  plunged. 

They  saw  an  arrow  hit  him ;  they  saw  the  warm  blood 
spurt  from  his  white  cheek  in  the  clear,  bright  moon- 
light. He  drew  it  out  and  threw  it  aside,  but  he  never 
faltered.    The  soldiers  knew  that  it  meant  life  or  death. 


CORA,   THE  PET  OF  THE  REGIMENT.  99 

and  they  fairly  rained  bullets  into  the  black,  swarming 
mass  of  savages. 

"  Charge,  and  fire  again !  "  cried  Arthur  Rollins,  in  a 
husky  voice.  "  For  the  lives  and  honor  of  our  women- 
they  must  be  beaten  back !  " 

Step  by  step  he  drives  them  back — they  are  cowards,  all 
of  them,  these  Indians — they  are  terrified  as  they  look  at 
this  gallant  young  giant  who  advances,  mowing  them 
down  by  scores,  and  who  seems  to  live  a  charmed  life,  and 
whom  neither  arrow  nor  bullet  can  stop.  They  retreat, 
breaking  right  and  left,  and  amid  the  terrible  slaughter 
Arthur  Rollins  stands  victor  of  the  great  battle,  with  his 
little  band,  panting  and  exhausted,  barely  alive,  just  as 
the  troopers  come  thundering  up  to  their  aid,  and  fling 
themselves  in  a  trice  from  their  horses. 

This  was  the  last  Arthur  saw ;  his  courage,  which  had 
kept  up  to  the  highest  pitch  during  the  excitement,  could 
no  longer  sustain  him.  The  wounds  on  his  face,  and 
the  score  or  more  on  different  parts  of  his  body,  were 
beginning  to  tell  upon  him  at  last.  As  the  commanding 
officer  in  charge  of  the  troopers  reached  him,  Arthur 
sunk  down  in  the  midst  of  his  comrades  in  a  death-like 
swoon. 

A  week — a  long,  weary  week  Arthur  Rollins  lay  un- 
conscious of  what  was  transpiring  around  him. 

When  consciousness  returned  to  him,  he  found  himself 
lying  in  a  darkened  room  in  General  Ormsby's  quarters, 
the  old  general  himself  bending  over  him. 

He  looked  up  into  the  drawn,  white  old  face  with  some- 
thing very  like  wonder  in  his  own.  His  mind  was  a  blank 
for  a  moment  regarding  what  had  occurred. 

"Why  am  I  here,  general?"  he  asked,  wonderingly, 
struggling  to  a  sitting  posture.     Then  he  became  aware 


100  CORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT. 

that  his  face  was  bandaged,  and  that  parts  of  his  body 
were  terribly  sore. 

"  What  has  happened  ?  "  he  repeated,  wonderingly. 

General  Ormsby  tottered  up  closer  to  the  couch,  knelt 
beside  it,  and  wept  as  men  seldom  weep  in  a  life-time. 

Arthur  Rollins  looked  at  him  in  wonder  too  great  for 
words. 

"  My  dear  sir,"  he  exclaimed,  surprisedly,  "  I  can  not 
understand  why  you  should  weep  like  this." 

Suddenly  he  remembered  all — the  horrible  massacre 
under  the  light  of  the  moon. 

"  We  saved  the  fort  ?  "  he  asked. 

General  Ormsby  nodded. 

"  Was  there  great  loss  of  life?  "  questioned  the  young 
man,  struggling  upon  his  elbow. 

The  old  general  could  not  answer. 

"  It  seemed  their  intention  to  break  into  the  garrison, 
where  the  ladies  were,"  resumed  Arthur,  faintly.  "  Poor 
souls!  it  must  have  been  a  terrible  ordeal  for  them! 
Was  your  daughter — Miss  Ormsby — ^much  terrified  ?  " 
asked  Arthur,  wistfully. 

Again  the  old  general  seemed  to  sob  his  heart  out. 

"  Listen,  my  boy  I  "  he  cried.  "  God  save  me  from 
going  mad  while  I  tell  you.  Cora,  my  darling,  has  sud- 
denly disappeared — they  have  taken  her  captive;  per- 
haps they  have  killed  her — or — or  worse.  The  Indians 
abducted  her  during  the  terrible  fight." 


CORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT.  101 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

The  words  which  General  Ormsby  uttered  fell  upon 
Arthur  Rollins'  ear  like  the  shock  of  doom.    He  scarcely 

believed  that  he  had  heard  aright. 

"  Cora  abducted !  "  he  faltered,  huskily,  as  though  un- 
able to  realize  the  terrible  import  the  words  conveyed. 

The  old  general  bowed  his  head  until  it  rested  upon 
his  breast.    Words  seemed  to  fail  him. 

Looking  up  at  him,  Arthur  saw  that  what  he  had  heard 
was  indeed  true.  Long  years  passing  over  his  head  could 
not  have  aged  the  old  general  as  much  as  this  one  week 
had  done,  owing  to  the  loss  of  his  idolized  daughter. 

It  preyed  upon  him,  driving  him  to  the  very  verge  of 
madness. 

Weak  as  he  was,  Arthur  struggled  up  to  a  sitting  pos- 
ture, his  face  white  as  death. 

"  And  while  I  have  been  lying  here  she  has  been  in 
such  terrible  danger !  "  he  cried.    "  Oh,  the  horror  of  it !  " 

"  W'hat  would  you  do  ?  "  asked  General  Ormsby,  as  the 
young  man  attempted  to  put  on  his  clothes. 

"  I  am  going  to  find  your  daughter  Cora  and  restore 
her  to  your  arms,  if  she  is  living  on  the  face  of  the  earth. 
If  she  is  dead,  I  shall  devote  my  life  to  exterminating 
every  Indian  on  the  frontier,  man,  woman  and  child  of 
them !  " 

General  Ormsby  laid  his  shaking  hands  on  his  shoulder. 

"  You  are  not  able  to  undertake  it  just  yet,"  he  said. 
"  You  are  too  weak.  All  the  very  best  scouts  of  the 
fort  are  out  on  her  trail.    They  will  find  her  if — if " 

He  could  not  finish  the  sentence,  but  commenced  to 
pace  up  and  down  the  floor  again  in  the  most  pitiful 


102  CORA,   THE    PET   OF  THE    REGIMENT. 

agitation,  just  as  he  had  paced  up  and  down  for  the  last 
week  by  night  and  by  day,  scarcely  eating  or  sleeping. 
But  these  words  by  no  means  assured  Arthur  nor  swayed 
him  from  his  project.  Excitement  seemed  to  lend  him 
new  life,  despite  his  weakness. 

When  the  doctor  tried  to  persuade  him  against  this 
step,  he  called  him  to  one  side,  saying  hurriedly : 

"  I  will  tell  a  secret  to  you,  doctor — I  love  the  girl  bet- 
ter than  life  itself.  It  would  be  a  living  death  of  torture 
to  lie  here  while  her  fate  is  in  jeopardy!  " 

"  In  that  case,  I  will  say  no  more  about  your  going," 
said  the  doctor.  "  I  can  realize  that  action  would  be  bet- 
ter for  you  than  inaction  in  your  present  state  of  mind." 

In  order  to  let  our  readers  know  the  terrible  fate  which 
had  overtaken  the  general's  darling,  we  must  go  back  to 
an  incident  that  happened  two  days  before  the  ball. 

It  was  night,  and  quite  a  number  of  soldiers  and  half- 
breeds  had  gathered  together  at  one  of  the  stores,  where 
one  of  the  sutlers  did  a  thriving  trade  among  the  army 
men  and  the  chiefs  of  the  reservation,  which  lay  some 
ten  miles  further  on  down  the  river. 

Captain  Lindsay  had  just  finished  the  purchase  of  a 
package  of  cigars  which  was  to  last  him  over  the  evening 
of  the  ball. 

As  he  was  about  to  leave  the  place,  some  one  stepped 
up  to  him  and  tapped  him  lightly  on  the  shoulder. 

Turning  abruptly  and  a  little  angrily  at  being  so  fa- 
miliarly stopped,  he  found  himself  face  to  face  with  Joe, 
a  half-breed  who  had  been  employed  upon  one  of  the 
steamers  that  ran  up  and  down  the  Hudson — ^that  passed 
West  Point — a  year  or  so  before. 

"  What  in  the  world  are  you  doing  here  ?  "  exclaimed 
Lindsay,  sharply,  and  a  little  haughtily. 


CORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT.  103 

"  I  was  seized  with  a  notion  of  visiting  old  friends 
and  home,"  rephed  Joe.  "  I  was  greatly  surprised  to 
hear  that  you  were  here.  I  like  the  free-and-easy  life  on 
the  plains,"  continued  Joe,  his  swarthy  face  lighting  up, 
his  sharp  black  eyes  sparkling.  "  I  act  as  interpreter  for 
my  tribe — the  Sioux.  I  was  at  Fort  Hadley  to  see  Gen- 
eral Ormsby  a  few  days  ago,  but  you  did  not  see  me. 
Your  men  are  not  doing  right  by  us,"  exclaimed  the  half- 
breed,  bitterly.  Our  treaty  with  the  Government  says  we 
are  to  have  so  much  ammunition.  Your  agents  refuse  to 
obey  that  order  and  drive  us  further  back  into  the  in- 
terior of  the  country  day  by  day." 

"  Do  you  suppose  we  intend  to  furnish  you  with  arms 
to  come  some  night  and  massacre  us  in  our  beds  ?  "  ex- 
claimed Captain  Lindsay. 

The  half-breed  started  violently,  and  muttered  some- 
thing under  his  breath  which  the  captain  did  not  catch. 

"  It's  all  very  well  to  say  that  you  came  out  here  for 
rest  and  change,"  said  the  captain,  jocularly;  "  but  I  guess 
the  real  truth  is,  you  are  wanted  in  the  States,  and  had 
to  fly." 

Again  the  half-breed  regarded  him  with  that  strange 
look  in  his  eyes  which  might  mean  nothing  or  might 
mean  a  great  deal. 

"  If  I  had  money  enough,  I  would  get  back  to  the 
States,"  said  the  half-breed,  doggedly. 

Suddenly,  as  they  stood  there,  a  strange  thought  flashed 
through  the  brain  of  Captain  Lindsay — a  thought  so  dia- 
bolical that  for  a  moment  it  almost  took  his  breath  away, 
wicked  man  though  he  was.  The  man  before  him  would 
be  just  the  one  to  aid  him. 

"  How  much  would  it  take  to  bring  you  back  to  the 
States,  Joe  ?  "  he  asked. 


104  CORA,   THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT. 

"  Something  less  than  fifty  dollars,"  was  the  reply. 

"If  you  will  help  me  with  a  little  job,  you  shall  have 
that  amount,"  said  Lindsay,  hoarsely. 

"  I'll  do  it,"  said  his  companion,  without  stopping  to 
inquire  what  the  little  job  was  that  he  had  on  hand. 
"  You  know  I  helped  you  out  of  a  scrape  or  two  at  the 
Point  that  the  world  was  never  any  the  wiser  for." 

"  Hush !  "  exclaimed  Captain  Lindsay,  looking  around 
sharply ;  "  that's  over  and  past." 

"  Is  there  a  pretty  girl  in  this  aif  air  ?  "  questioned  the 
half-breed. 

It  was  now  the  captain's  turn  to  flush  and  look  an- 
noyed. 

"  I  don't  mind  telling  you  that  there  is  a  young  girl 
in  the  affair,"  he  said,  coolly.  "  Come,  we  will  walk 
slowly  along  while  we  discuss  the  subject." 

After  a  few  moments  of  silence,  Lindsay  began  slowly : 
"  I'm  in  love  with  a  pretty  girl " 

The  half-breed's  burst  of  violent  laughter  made  him 
turn  angrily  and  sharply  about. 

"  What's  the  matter  with  you  ?  "  he  asked,  abruptly. 

"  You  in  love  ?  "  cried  his  companion,  uproariously. 
"  That's  quite  a  joke,  Captain  Lindsay." 

"  Why  shouldn't  I  fall  in  love  ?  "  demanded  the  captain, 
biting  his  under  lip  savagely. 

"  I  didn't  know  that  you  were  ever  out  of  love ;  you 
know,  it  was  always  said  that  you  had  a  new  one  for  each 
of  the  three  hundred  and  sixty-five  days  of  the  year." 

Lindsay  frowned,  but  he  did  not  utter  the  sneering 
retort  that  sprung  to  his  lips.  It  was  not  his  intention  to 
make  an  enemy  of  the  man  who  knew  so  much  about  him, 
so  he  concluded  that  it  was  best  to  swallow  his  chagrin. 


CORA,  THE    PET   OF  THE   REGIMENT.  105 

"  After  you  get  through  laughing,"  he  said,  "  I  will 
go  on." 

"  Go  right  ahead,"  retorted  his  companion ;  "  never 
mind  me,  captain." 

"  Well,"  said  Lindsay,  "  I  am  in  love  with  General 
Ormsby's  daughter;  but  the  fact  is,  the  girl  isn't  in  love 
with  me.  There's  a  handsome  dude  up  there  who  seems 
to  have  completely  won  her  fancy.  I  want  to  put  a  stop 
to  the  thing  before  this  love-making  goes  any  further." 

"  Why  don't  you  give  him  a  dose  of  that  ?  "  said  the 
half-breed,  reaching  over  and  tapping  the  revolver  which 
the  captain  always  carried  in  his  pocket. 

"  The  fellow  seems  to  have  a  charmed  life,"  declared 
the  captain ;  "  bullets  whistle  by  him.  I  saw  a  horse 
throw  him  two  days  ago,  and  he  landed  on  his  feet  like  a 
cat.  Anybody  else  would  have  been  killed !  It  is  his 
feats  of  daring  which  have  won  this  girl's  love.  Now,  I 
want  to  do  something  quite  as  daring  in  her  eyes.  To 
make  a  long  story  short,  I  want  you  to  prowl  around  the 
fort  on  the  night  of  the  ball,  and  abduct  her.  I  will  then 
prove  to  be  the  hero  in  the  case.  I  will  rescue  her  from 
you,  apparently  at  the  risk  of  my  life;  that  will  give  me  a 
hold  on  her  favor.    Do  you  understand  ?  " 

The  man  nodded. 

"  Do  you  think  it  can  be  accomplished  ?  " 

"  It  has  been  done  before,  hasn't  it?  "  said  Joe,  looking 
the  captain  fully  in  the  face,  "  and " 

The  rest  of  the  sentence  was  finished  in  a  whisper. 


106  CORA,  THE   PET   OF  THE   REGIMENT. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

For  an  hour  or  more  Captain  Lindsay  and  Joe  paced 
up  and  down  the  banks  of  the  river,  laying  their  dia- 
bohcal  plans. 

At  last  it  was  settled,  and  they  parted.  Captjiin  Lind- 
say walked  hurriedly  back  to  the  fort,  and  Joe  pursued 
his  way  in  long  swinging  strides  toward  the  Sioux 
village. 

When  the  fusillade  had  commenced,  and  bullets  poured 
in  through  the  windows  and  doors  like  hail,  and  the  ex- 
citement became  intense,  Captain  Lindsay,  unnoticed  by 
every  one  save  Cora,  beat  an  ignominious  retreat. 

This  cowardly  act,  in  the  moment  of  their  greatest  peril, 
aroused  all  the  anger  and  disgust  in  Cora's  nature.  But 
she  had  scarcely  any  time  for  thought,  as  she  was  sud- 
denly seized  from  behind  by  a  pair  of  strong  arms  that 
had  reached  in  from  an  open  window  against  where  she 
leaned. 

In  less  time  than  it  takes  to  tell  it,  she  had  been  drawn 
through,  a  thick  blanket  was  thrown  suddenly  over  her 
head,  and  some  one  bore  her  swiftly  out  into  the  night 
air.  Her  terrified  shrieks  were  smothered  by  the  blanket 
that  was  wrapped  about  her,  and  she  felt  herself  being 
lifted  upon  a  horse.  The  noise  and  din  of  the  terrible 
battle  which  was  raging  completely  drowned  her  wild 
cries. 

Through  sheer  terror,  Cora  fainted  dead  away  in  the 
strong  grasp  of  her  captor. 

The  hour  in  which  Cora  returned  to  consciousness  was 
the  bitterest  of  her  life.  She  woke  to  find  herself  amid 
such  strange  surroundings,  that  for  the  moment  it  seemed 


CORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT.  lO'i 

to  her  that  she  must  still  be  in  some  horrible  dream — e 
that  she  was  the  victim  of  some  terrible  nightmare,  from 
which  she  would  presently  arouse. 

She  was  lying  on  a  couch  of  furs — deer-skins — with 
•a  white  tent  above  her  head.  Through  the  opening  the 
stars  in  the  night-sky  were  plainly  visible.  By  the  en- 
trance, before  a  camp-fire  of  burning  fagots,  knelt  a 
young  Sioux  maiden,  beside  an  older  woman,  both  re- 
garding the  dark  figure  within  the  tent  with  great  curi- 
osity. 

Cora  struggled  to  her  feet  in  bewilderment,  a  wild 
cry  breaking  from  her  lips  as  the  truth  dawned  upon  her 
that  this  was  no  dream,  but  a  horrible  reality. 

She  was  in  the  midst  of  hated  foes — ^the  Sioux — upon 
whom  the  soldiers  at  Fort  Hadley  were  raging  such 
deadly  warfare. 

In  an  instant  she  remembered  all — some  one  suddenly 
grasping  her  from  behind,  the  heavy  blanket  that  was 
thrown  over  her  to  stifle  her  wild  cries  and  desperate 
struggles,  the  wild  ride  over  miles  and  miles,  then  dark- 
ness and  oblivion. 

With  a  cry  of  terror,  Cora  sprung  from  the  couch  and 
would  have  rushed  through  the  entrance  had  not  the  un- 
wieldy figure  of  one  of  the  women  barred  the  exit. 

"  Let  me  go — let  me  go !  "  panted  Cora.  "  Do  not  at- 
tempt to  detain  me !  " 

The  woman  jesticulated  sharply,  answering  in  a  gut- 
tural voice,  and  pushed  the  girl  violently  backward. 

The  shrieking,  screaming  mob  crowded  about  the  tent 
in  which  Cora  sat,  their  wild,  glaring  eyes,  terrible  ges- 
ticulations, and  high-pitched  angry  voices  making  her 
almost  die  with  terror. 

In  the  midst  of  them — ay,  the  foremost  of  them — she 


108  CORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT. 

saw  the  horrible  creature  whose  face  she  had  but  an  in- 
stantaneous ghmpse  of  as  he  snatched  her  through  the 
window. 

He  stepped  forward  without  any  ceremony,  and  entered 
the  tent. 

"  Hush !  "  he  cried,  as  the  girl  started  to  her  feet, 
screaming  with  terror. 

"  Do  not  dare  to  come  near  me !  "  cried  Cora,  cowering 
back  from  him  as  though  he  were  a  poisonous  cobra 
coiled  there  waiting  to  strike  her  to  death  with  a  venom- 
ous blow. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

"  Hush !  "  he  said,  for  the  third  time,  holding  up  his 
hand  to  her,  and  speaking  in  very  good  English ;  "  you 
anger  my  people." 

"  Why  did  you  take  me  from  my  father  and  those  who 
love  me?  "  she  wailed,  piteously.  "  U  it  was  for  money, 
take  me  back  and  my  father  will  pay  you  handsomely." 

Joe  smiled,  showing  his  white  teeth. 

"  You  are  the  daughter  of  General  Ormsby,"  he  said. 
"  Once  he  had  me  arrested  for  stealing  a  bit  of  rope ; 
true,  there  was  a  horse  at  the  other  end  of  it,  and  I 
did  time  for  ft — a  year.  I  vowed  vengeance  on  him, 
and  now  I  see  my  way  clear  to  it.  I  did  not  dream  you 
were  his  daughter  until  I  saw  your  face.  You  are  like 
him ;  there  is  no  mistaking  that.  I  could  not  have  struck 
a  blow  at  his  heart  a  surer  way." 

"  What  are  you — man,  or  fiend  incarnate  ?  "  cried  Cora. 


CORA,   THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT.  109 

"  Do  not  Strike  at  my  dear  old  father's  heart  through  his 
only  child,  whom  he  loves  dearer  than  life  itself." 

Three  days  passed,  and,  to  Cora's  intense  relief,  Joe, 
the  half-breed,  did  not  put  in  an  appearance  again. 

He  seemed  to  be  gone  off  on  some  mission ;  but  those 
with  whom  he  had  left  her  watched  her  every  move  so 
intently  that  escape  was  impossible.  She  made  one  or 
two  attempts  to  escape,  but  it  seemed  only  to  call  down 
the  fury  of  the  Sioux  upon  her,  and  her  life  now  hung 
in  such  jeopardy  that  another  attempt  would  have  caused 
them  to  take  her  life  then  and  there. 

The  woman  whom  the  half-breed  had  left  standing 
guard  never  left  her  for  an  instant. 

All  in  vain  Cora  knelt  and  prayed  to  her,  and  tried  to 
make  her  understand. 

She  might  as  well  have  prayed  to  an  image  carved  in 
stone. 

He  had  cautioned  them  well  upon  this  point.     When 
he  had  disappeared  he  had  gone  directly  back  to  Fort 
Hadley,  and  hung  about  the  outskirts  of  the  camp  until;/ 
he  could  secure  an  interview  with  Captain  Lindsay  with- 
out being  observed. 

He  knew  it  would  mean  death  to  him  if  any  of  the 
soldiers  or  officers  of  the  garrison  sighted  him.  He 
learned,  too,  that  dispatches  had  been  sent  to  the  nearest 
posts,  and  that  several  regiments  of  cavalry  had  been  sent 
on  to  Fort  Hadley  to  wage  a  mighty  war  upon  the  tribe 
for  their  late  uprising,  to  drive  them  from  the  country,  or 
to  bring  them  into  subjection. 

He  knew  it  was  the  disappearance  of  the  girl  that  had 
brought  this  about,  and  that  they  would  leave  no  stone 
unturned  to  find  her  whereabouts,  and  deal  out  justice 
upon  the  whole  Sioux  nation. 


110  CORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT. 

He  had  foreseen  all  this,  but  he  did  not  care. 

On  the  third  day  that  he  had  lain  in  ambush  about  the 
fort  he  came  face  to  face  with  the  very  man  he  was  in 
search  of — Captain  Lindsay. 

Furious  with  rage,  he  sprung  toward  the  half-breed. 

"  What  have  you  done  with  the  girl  ? "  he  cried, 
hoarsely. 

"  Don't  get  excited !  "  cried  Joe,  shaking  himself  free 
from  the  other's  grasp.  "  She's  safe ;  what  more  do  you 
want?" 

"  You  have  broken  faith  with  me.  You  were  to  take 
her  to  the  bend  in  the  road  and  wait  for  me  there." 

"  Take  me  to  her  at  once !  "  cried  Captain  Lindsay, 
imperiously.  "  Three  days  in  your  hands !  Great  God ! 
the  girl  must  be  almost  dead  with  terror.  If  I  find  that 
you  have  harmed  one  hair  of  her  head,  I'll  have  your 
life  for  it !  " 

"  No  threats !  "  said  the  half-breed,  doggedly. 

"  Where  is  she  ?  "  demanded  Captain  Lindsay. 

"  Let  money  ask  that  question  for  you.  Fork  over  that 
fifty  dollars  you  promised." 

"  Not  until  you  place  the  girl  in  my  hands." 

The  half-breed  laughed  a  low,  exultant  laugh. 

"  We  may  as  well  understand  each  other,"  he  said. 
"  You  will  have  to  make  it  a  round  five  hundred,  or  the 
girl  stays  where  she  is !  " 

"  Great  Heaven !  "  cried  Captain  Lindsay.  "  You  can 
not  mean  it !  " 

"You  must  raise  it,"  repHed  the  half-breed;  "or  the 
girl  will  live  and  die  among  the  Sioux !  " 


CORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT.  Ill 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

All  in  vain  Captain  Lindsay  threatened  and  swore  at 
the  man  who  stood  there.    He  was  inexorable. 

He  dared  not  betray  to  his  companions  at  Fort  Had- 
ley  the  fact  that  he  knew  of  Cora's  whereabouts,  for  the 
truth  would  leak  out  that  he  had  been  mixed  up  in  the 
conspiracy.  Then  the  rage  of  the  soldiers  would  be  so 
great  that  they  would  not  even  let  him  have  a  trial,  but 
would  make  a  target  of  him. 

No,  he  must  win  the  half-breed  over  to  his  way  of 
thinking,  and  release  Cora  by  strategy  from  her  perilous 
surroundings. 

All  arguing  was  lost  upon  the  half-breed. 

"  Five  hundred  dollars  is  my  price,"  he  declared.  "  If 
you  want  the  girl,  you  must  raise  that  amount,  or  keep 
still." 

Captain  Lindsay  swallowed  his  chagrin  as  best  he 
could. 

"  I  will  see  if  it  is  possible  for  me  to  raise  it,"  he  said, 
at  length.  "  li  I  can  do  so,  I  will  see  you  in  a  couple 
of  days." 

Turning  abruptly,  he  left  him  standing  there. 

The  half-breed  looked  after  him  with  a  low,  cunning 
smile. 

"  He  will  raise  that  amount  of  money  somehow,"  he 
muttered,  triumphantly.  "  And  after  I  have  that  much 
in  my  hand,  I'll  raise  it  another  hundred  before  I  deliver 
General  Ormsby's  daughter  to  him." 

"  I  don't  know  but  that  I'd  like  her  myself,"  he  solilo- 
quized.   "  She  hates  me;  but  then,  women  often  change 


112  CORA,  THE  PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT. 

their  minds.  I'm  not  such  a  bad-looking  fellow,  any- 
how." 

His  reverie  came  to  an  abrupt  ending,  for  at  that  mo- 
ment he  espied,  lying  full  length  under  one  of  the  cotton- 
wood  trees,  the  figure  of  a  man. 

He  approached  him  with  a  cat-like  tread,  and  saw  that 
he  was  sleeping.  At  that  moment  he  caught  sight  of  a 
chain  which  the  sleeping  man  was  wearing. 

He  bent  over  him  cautiously,  and  was  just  about  to 
appropriate  it  and  the  watch  to  which  it  was  attached, 
when  the  sleeper  suddenly  awoke. 

He  comprehended  the  situation  in  an  instant,  and  in  less 
time  that  it  takes  to  tell  it,  he  had  caught  the  half-breed  by 
the  shoulder,  and  administered  to  him  the  soundest 
thrashing  he  had  ever  received  in  his  life. 

"  Now,  be  gone !  "  he  cried,  pointing  down  the  path, 
"  before  I  give  vent  to  my  anger  again  and  give  you  a 
little  more  of  the  same  kind  of  sauce." 

"  I  will  pay  you  back  for  this !  "  panted  Joe,  when  he 
got  quite  out  of  reach  of  the  other's  long,  swinging,  mus- 
cular arms.    "  You  will  rue  this  day,  mark  my  words !  " 

The  young  man  laughed  at  his  threat. 

"  I  have  no  fear  of  a  barking  dog,"  he  declared. 

"  I  can  bite  as  well  as  bark !  "  yelled  Joe,  white  with 
rage. 

"  Say  this  to  yourself — Arthur  Rollins  has  no  fear  of 
any  man  living !  "  replied  the  young  man,  calmly.  "  Jot 
that  down  in  your  memory,  will  you  ?  " 

The  name  seemed  to  fairly  electrify  the  half-breed. 

"Ah!  that  is  the  name  of  the  man  Captain  Lindsay 
had  spoken  about  as  being  his  rival,  the  one  whom  the 
pretty  Cora  cared  for.     We  shall  meet  again,  Arthur 


CORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT.  113 

Rollins,"  he  declared ;  "  and  mark  me  well,  you  will  rue 
that  time  most  bitterly !  " 

It  was  the  noon  of  the  following  day  after  the  little  in- 
cident which  we  have  just  narrated,  that  fate  opened  out 
a  way  for  Arthur  Rollins, 

He  was  hurrying  along  by  the  banks  of  the  river,  when 
he  suddenly  heard  sounds  of  horses'  hoofs  galloping 
madly  down  the  road.  Looking  ahead,  he  saw  that  it 
was  an  Indian  pony  ridden  by  a  Sioux  maiden,  and  that 
the  animal  was  certainly  running  away  with  the  girl. 

Arthur  knew  that  they  must  pass  the  spot  where  he 
stood.  It  took  him  but  an  instant's  time  to  decide  upon 
his  course  of  actii^n. 

Winding  his  left  arm  firmly  around  the  trunk  of  a 
tree,  he  waited  motionless  for  the  infuriated  animal  to 
approach. 

"  Courage !  "  he  cried  to  the  excited  girl,  who  was 
about  to  fling  herself  from  the  animal's  back. 

But  if  she  heard  she  did  not  heed  him.  For  an  in- 
stant she  swayed  to  and  fro  like  a  leaf  in  a  gale ;  the  next 
moment,  just  as  she  was  abreast  of  him,  and  he  reached 
out  his  hand  to  grasp  the  flying  reins,  the  girl  fell  head- 
long from  the  saddle,  and  was  precipitated  down  the 
rocky  embankment  into  the  creek  below. 

Like  a  flash,  Arthur  brought  the  horse  to  a  standstill, 
and  threw  the  reins  over  the  limb  of  a  tree.  Having  se- 
cured the  rearing,  panting  animal,  he  jumped  at  once  to 
the  assistance  of  the  maiden. 

He  found  her  lying  half  in  half  out  of  the  water.  She 
was  not  unconscious  from  her  terrible  fall,  but  moaning 
with  pain. 

In  less  time  than  it  takes  to  tell  it,  Arthur  had  lifted 


114  CORA,  THE   PET   OF  THE   REGIMENT. 

her  in  his  strong  arms,  bore  her  up  the  embankment,  and 
placed  her  beneath  the  shade  of  a  cotton-wood  tree. 

"  Are  you  badly  hurt  ?  "  he  asked,  anxiously. 

"  I — I  think  I  have  sprained  my  ankle,"  answered  the 
girl,  faintly,  in  remarkably  good  English.  "  Perhaps  I 
have  broken  it." 

Arthur  removed  the  small  moccasin  and  the  leather 
leggin  that  enveloped  her  foot. 

*'  The  limb  is  not  broken,"  he  said ;  "  but  you  have 
succeeded  in  giving  yourself  a  terrible  sprain.  Good 
heavens !  that  confounded  horse  has  managed  to  get  free, 
and  he  is  off !  " 

"  What  shall  I  do  ?  "  moaned  the  girl,  piteously,  as  sha 
wrung  her  hands  and  sobbed  convulsively. 

"  You  mean,  how  will  you  get  back  to  your  people  ?  " 

She  nodded. 

"  To  which  village  do  you  belong  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  The  nearest  one ;  but  it  is  some  five  miles  distant," 
she  answered. 

"  There  is  no  other  way  than  for  me  to  carry  you  a  lit- 
tle way  at  a  time,  giving  me  an  opportunity  to  rest,  and 
I  think  I  will  be  able  to  get  you  there  before  dark." 

"  You  are  good  and  kind,"  faltered  the  girl.  "  I — I 
thought  all  white  men  were  cruel." 

"Who  told  you  that? — your  people?" 

She  nodded  her  dark  head. 

"  You  must  not  believe  all  you  hear,"  said  Arthur, 
briefly,  as  he  set  to  work  bathing  the  injured  ankle  to  keep 
down  the  swelling. 

Slender  as  the  girl  was,  she  was  no  easy  burden  to 
carry. 

Every  few  rods  he  was  obliged  to  sit  her  down  and 
rest  with  her. 


GORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE  REGIMENT.  115 

He  knew  that  she  must  be  suffering  the  most  intense 
agony,  and  he  knew,  too,  that  she  was  trying  to  keep  it 
from  him,  by  the  way  in  which  she  bit  her  hps  to  keep 
back  the  groans  that  rose  to  them. 

He  did  his  best  to  draw  her  mind  away  from  her  suf- 
fering. 

They  made  slow  progress,  as  Arthur  had  predicted. 

The  dusk  crept  up  and  the  night  darkened  about  them 
ere  the  last  mile  was  traversed. 

"  We  can  never  get  there !  "  cried  the  girl,  her  courage 
giving  out  at  last. 

"  Oh,  yes,  we  will,"  said  Arthur.  "  It  is  just  a  little 
way  further.  We  will  be  able  to  see  your  camp  from 
the  top  of  the  hill  yonder." 

The  words  had  barely  left  his  lips  ere  he  heard  a  terri- 
ble yell  proceed  from  a  clump  of  trees  but  a  few  rods 
distant,  and  in  another  instant  he  found  himself  sur- 
rounded by  a  score  or  more  of  Sioux.  When  they  saw 
who  it  was  the  white  man  carried  in  his  arms,  they  were 
fairly  stricken  dumb. 

One  of  the  Sioux  had  shot  at  him  with  an  arrow  as 
they  advanced.  When  they  reached  Arthur's  side,  they 
saw  him  stagger  and  fall  heavily  to  the  ground  with  his 
burden. 

The  girl's  anger  knew  no  bounds. 

Rapidly,  in  her  own  language,  she  explained  what  had 
occurred — that  the  man  whom  they  had  just  shot  down 
had  saved  her  life. 

"Will  he  live  or  die?"  she  cried,  sinking  on  her 
knees  beside  him,  all  unmindful  of  her  own  excruciating 
pain.  "  Some  of  you  lift  him  and  take  him  to  the 
village." 


116  CORA,   THE   PET   OF  THE   REGIMENT. 

They  dared  not  disobey  her  command,  for  Minne- 
waska's  word  was  law  to  them. 

The  excitement  was  great  when  they  reached  the  village 
and  discovered  what  had  happened  to  the  girl. 

"  Let  him  be  cared  for  until  he  recovers,"  she  cried, 
pointing  to  Arthur. 

And,  although  there  was  much  grumbling  and  mutter- 
ing among  them,  yet  no  one  dared  say  "  nay." 

When  Arthur  came  to  his  senses  he  found  himself  in  a 
tent,  lying  upon  a  pile  of  soft  bear-skins. 

Outside  he  heard  the  mutterings  of  guttural  voices. 
The  pain  in  his  head  was  intense.  He  sunk  back  with  a 
groan. 

He  had  no  idea  of  what  had  happened  after  he  received 
tliat  stinging  blow  in  the  head. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

Hearing  a  slight  movement  close  beside  him,  Arthur 
opened  his  eyes  and  glanced  up.  He  saw  a  woman  com- 
ing through  the  door  of  the  tent.  She  came  hastily  up 
to  his  rude  couch  and  flung  herself  on  her  knees  beside 
him,  repeatedly  kissing  his  hand  and  gesticulating  volubly. 

Arthur,  however,  could  not  understand  what  she  said. 
He  imagined  that  she  must  be  the  mother  of  the  girl 
whom  he  had  rescued,  as  she  had  the  same  cast  of  feat- 
ures. 

"  That's  all  right,  my  good  woman,"  he  said,  hoping 
that  she  could  understand  him  better  than  he  did  her.    "'  I 


CORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT.  117 

know  you  are  grateful,  and  all  that;  but  I  did  no  more 
for  the  girl  than  I  would  have  done  for  another  in  the 
same  situation.  I  am  afraid  your  people  have  done  me 
up.    Why  are  these  bandages  around  my  head  ?  " 

He  could  not  understand  her  gesticulations,  nor  the 
reply  that  she  made  him;  he  only  knew  that  she  was 
pressing  him  back  against  the  furs,  as  though  she  wished 
him  to  lie  there  and  not  struggle  to  his  feet. 

She  disappeared  quite  as  suddenly  as  she  had  entered 
the  tent,  and  a  few  minutes  later  returned  with  a  steam- 
ing hot  potion  in  a  wooden  bowl,  which  she  indicated  was 
for  him  to  drink. 

A  thousand  thoughts  passed  through  his  brain.  Should 
he  take  it?    Dare  he  take  it? 

She  pressed  the  bowl  to  his  lips ;  he  was  too  weak  to 
resist,  and  in  a  moment  he  had  drained  its  contents  to  the 
dregs. 

"  Kill  or  cure,"  he  said  to  himself,  "  I  may  as  well 
down  it." 

The  effect  upon  him  was  most  exhilarating.  It  seemed 
to  relieve  him  at  once  of  all  pain,  and  shortly  afterward 
he  dropped  into  a  deep  slumber  which  was  unbroken  for 
long  hours. 

It  was  two  weeks  before  Arthur  Rollins  was  able  to 
sit  up,  and  the  first  person  whom  he  saw,  when  he  was 
able  to  walk  to  the  door  of  his  tent,  was  Minnewaska, 
keeping  watch  outside. 

"  I  am  so  thankful  that  you  were  not  seriously  injured," 
she  said,  kneeling  before  him  and  reverentially  kissing  the 
hem  of  his  coat.  "  I  was  coming  in  to  see  you  to-day," 
she  went  on,  in  a  voice  of  great  agitation ;  "  for  I  have 
something  to  tell  you — something  which  you  must  know." 


118  CORA,  THE    PET   OF  THE   REGIMENT, 

She  took  a  hasty  glance  around,  as  though  to  make 
sure  that  she  was  not  observed. 

"  The  men  are  all  out  on  a  hunt,"  she  explained ;  "  so  I 
chose  this  opportunity  to  come  here  and  talk  with  you." 

"  Your  ankle  is  better,  then  ?  "  he  said,  interrogatively. 

"  Almost  well,"  she  answered.  "  The  pain  is  now  so 
slight  that  I  do  not  mind  it  much.  The  men  of  the  village 
like  you  not,"  she  continued.  "  They  make  schemes  to 
destroy  you.  You  must  leave  here  this  very  night.  I 
will  help  you.  Ah !  I  would  do  anything  in  my  power  to 
aid  you,  you  were  so  good  to  me!  If  you  ever  get  into 
trouble,  and  Minnewaska  can  save  you,  she  will  do  it, 
even  with  the  sacrifice  of  her  life,  if  necessary.  Or,  if 
she  can  help  you  in  any  way,  you  will  have  but  to  speak 
and  tell  her  what  to  do." 

"  You  can  help  me,"  answered  Arthur,  quickly — oh, 
so  much,  my  dear  girl,  that  my  gratitude  to  you  would 
be  eternal !  " 

He  made  a  confidante  of  the  maiden  and  told  her  the 
story  of  Cora — ^how  he  loved  her,  and  was  wearing  his 
heart  out  searching  for  her. 

He  saw  her  start  as  she  listened. 

"  She  is  either  hidden  in  some  of  the  Indian  villages, 
or  dead !  "  he  muttered,  huskily.  "  If  you  would  serve 
me,  find  out  for  me  where  she  is,  if  she  is  still  alive." 

A  strange  light  came  over  her  face. 

"  Rest  in  peace  hereafter.  I  know  where  she  is,"  she 
said.    "  She  is  alive  and  well." 

Arthur's  joy  at  hearing  this  can  better  be  imagined  than 
told. 

"  Tell  me  where  she  is,"  he  said. 

"  In  this  village,  where  they  hold  her  captive." 


CORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT.  119 

"  Take  me  to  her,"  cried  Arthur,  excitedly,  "  and  you 
will  earn  my  everlasting  gratitude." 

The  girl  held  up  her  hand. 

"  Not  now,"  she  said.  "  I  will  take  any  message  from 
you.  If  you  were  seen  going  by  that  tent,  even  by  the 
women,  they  would  make  a  target  of  you.  Remain  where 
you  are." 

"  Tell  her  that  I  have  been  out  searching  for  her  ever 
since  her  disappearance,"  he  said,  huskily.  "  Tell  her  I 
will  give  every  drop  of  my  heart's  blood  to  rescue  her 
from  this  place,  and  to  restore  her  to  the  arms  of  her 
father  and  her  friends  at  Fort  Hadley.  You  will  not 
forget  all  that  I  have  said,  my  dear  girl  ?  "  he  questioned, 
anxiously. 

She  shook  her  head. 

"  Repeat  it  after  me,  until  I  see  whether  you  have  it 
right,"  he  said,  looking  eagerly  down  into  her  face. 

Slowly  she  repeated  the  sentence  word  for  word,  but  in 
her  own  way. 

"  Yes,  that  is  right,"  he  said.  "  I  see  you  have  a  great 
memory.  Go  quickly  with  the  message  to  Cora,  I  pray 
you,  and  return  to  me  with  her  reply." 

He  watched  her  intently  as  she  turned  and  walked 
slowly  away,  to  see  which  direction  she  took ;  but,  as 
though  aware  of  this,  the  maid  took  a  zig-zag  path  that 
led  in  quite  an  opposite  direction.  Not  that  she  meant 
to  throw  her  handsome  young  rescuer  off  the  track  of 
finding  the  tent  of  the  girl  he  loved ;  but  she  knew  intui- 
tively that  many  eyes  were  watching  her  through  rents  in 
several  of  the  tents,  and  it  would  not  do  to  go  direct  to  the 
tent  of  the  lily-white  maid,  as  they  called  Cora. 

The   woman   hated   the  beautiful   white   girl    for   lier 


120  CORA,  THE    PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT. 

beauty,  and  for  the  admiration  she  created  in  the  breasts^ 
of  the  Sioux  braves. 

"  How  strange  that  he  should  love  the  girl  that  has 
been  brought  here ! "  muttered  Minnewaska,  as  she 
limped  painfully  along.  "  How  long  have  I  lain  on  my 
deer-skin  couch,  night  after  night,  and  thought  of  him, 
while  the  stars  shone  in  the  sky  until  they  grew  pale  in  the 
light  of  the  coming  dawn ! 

"  I  saved  him  from  their  wrath  because  he  was  so  good 
to  me.  I  would  have  done  anything  for  him — ay,  given 
him  my  love,  if  he  had  asked  for  it,  and  would  have  mar- 
ried him. 

"  He  loves  another !  I  could  cheat  her — never  tell  her 
of  his  message — if  I  wanted  to,  and  then  the  wedding 
which  they  have  planned  for  to-night,  which  gives  the 
lily-white  maid  to  Joe,  the  half-breed,  would  take  place. 
It  would  be  too  late  on  the  morrow  for  her  handsome, 
pale-faced  lover  to  interfere. 

"  But  would  it  be  right  ?  Let  me  think.  Ah !  let  Min- 
newaska think. 

"  He  will  go  far  away,  and  take  her  with  him,  and  I 
shall  never  see  him  again.  The  moons  will  come  and 
set,  and  I  shall  never  see  him." 

Over  and  over  again  Minnewaska  turned  the  situation 
in  her  mind. 

So  intent  had  she  been  in  her  musings  that  she  scarcely 
realized  how  far  she  had  walked,  until  she  saw  the  tent 
that  was  occupied  by  Cora  lying  just  ahead  of  her. 

She  paused ;  the  lovely  maiden  had  new  interest  for  her 
now. 

Involuntarily  she  crept  closer,  and  gazed  eagerly  within. 

Cora  was  pacmg  up  and  down  within  the  narrow  tent. 


CORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT.  121* 

while  one  of  the  women  sat  close  by,  heedless  of  the  girl's 
abject  sorrow. 

Minnewaska  had  learned  the  English  language  from 
Joe,  the  half-breed,  and  was,  in  his  absence,  the  only  in- 
terpreter for  the  chiefs  in  the  village.  She  was  the  only 
one  who  could  understand  Cora's  piteous  and  constant 
appeal  to  be  set  free.  The  dusky  Indian  maid  drew 
nearer  still,  and  watched  Cora. 

She  had  never  seen  anything  like  her.     Her  skin  was 
white  as  snow,  her  hair  more  golden  than  the  sunshine,, 
and  her  eyes  as  blue  as  the  sky  above. 

A  great  bitterness  filled  Minnewaska's  heart.  If  he  had 
not  seen  her,  with  all  her  fair,  god-like  beauty,  perhaps 
he  would  have  cared  for  herself. 

Perhaps  this  girl  loved  the  handsome  pale-faced  hero 
even  as  she  loved  him. 

She  must  know,  she  told  herself ;  she  must  find  out  the 
truth  from  this  girl's  lips. 

"  Three  weeks,  ay,  nearly  a  month,  I  have  been  suf- 
fering the  agony  of  death  here,"  moaned  Cora,  wringing 
her  hands,  "  and  yet  no  one  comes  to  rescue  me.  I  can 
not  endure  it.  Surely  Heaven  would  find  mercy  for  me  if 
I  laid  my  burden  down  and  ended  it  all.  The  wretched 
creature  who  tore  me  from  home  and  friends  vows  that 
he  will  make  me  his  bride  on  the  morrow.  But  he  shall 
see !  He  has  goaded  me  on  to  madness  ;  he  shall  find  out 
how  it  will  end.  I  will  kill  myself;  better  that  than  to 
suffer  any  more !  " 

Suddenly  she  felt  a  light  touch  on  her  arm,  and  turning 
quickly,  she  beheld  the  little  Indian  maid  who  often 
looked  in  and  spoke  to  her  as  she  passed  the  tent. 

She  was  the  only  one  whom  Cora  could  make  under- 
stand her  great  desire  for  freedom;  but  the  girl  always 


i23  CORA,  THE    PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT. 

shook  her  head,  declaring  she  could  not  release  her ;  that 
it  would  be  as  much  as  her  life  was  worth  to  try  it,  and 
advised  her  to  try  and  reconcile  herself  to  the  future  the 
Sioux  had  marked  out  for  her. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

Cora  was  thankful  beyond  words  to  see  who  was  stand- 
ing before  her. 

"  Why  have  you  stayed  away  from  me  so  long,"  she 
sobbed,  holding  out  both  hands  to  her,  "  when  you  knew 
hew  very  wretched  I  was?  " 

"  Because  you  always  asked  me  to  help  you  to  escape, 
and  I  could  not ;  so  I  did  not  come  where  you  were." 

Cora  caught  both  her  hands  in  hers. 

"  Supposing  that  some  one  should  take  you  away  from 
your  people  and  place  you  among  strangers  who  hated 
you,  and  who  would  have  been  glad  to  see  you  die  at  any 
moment,  to  be  thrust  without  a  word  from  those  whom 
you  love  with  all  your  heart  and  those  who  love  you  ?  " 

"  Tell  me,"  said  Minnewaska,  "  did  those  who  love 
you  make  search  for  you,  do  you  think  ?  " 

"  My  father  could  not ;  he  is  too  old." 

"  Is  there  another — a  lover,  who  would  search  for 
you?" 

"  Yes,"  said  Cora,  tears  filling  her  eyes  and  rolling 
down  her  cheeks,  "  there  is  another  who  loved  me  once 
very  dearly,  and  another  girl  came  between  us ;  but  I 
think  the  very  night  I  was  taken  away  he  was  learning 


CORA,  THE    PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT.  123 

to  care  for  me  again.    I  am  sure  he  will  search  for  me. 
My  heart  tells  me  that  he  will." 

"  And  if  he  found  you  would  you  marry  him?  " 

"  Oh,  yes — ^yes !  "  Cora  answered. 

The  Indian  maid  looked  very  gravely  into  the  tearful 
blue  eyes. 

"  What  is  his  name  ?  "  she  asked — "  this  young  hero 
whom  you  love  ?  " 

"  You  have  never  heard  of  him,  you  will  never  see  him. 
Why  do  you  ask  this  of  me  ?  " 

"  It  would  ease  my  heart  to  know,"  said  the  maiden. 

Cora  was  too  agitated  to  notice  how  husky  and  broken 
her  voice  was. 

"  He  is  indeed  a  hero,"  said  Cora ;  "  and  his  name, 
well — is — Arthur  Rollins." 

"  I — I  have  seen  him,"  said  Minnewaska. 

"  You  have  seen  him  ? "  cried  Cora,  incredulously. 
**  How  can  that  be  ?    You  must  be  mistaken." 

The  maid  shook  her  head,  toying  nervously  at  the  beads 
she  wore  at  her  throat. 

"  He  was  here  in  our  village  a  short  time  ago." 

Cora  fairly  gasped  for  breath,  so  startling  was  this  in- 
telligence. 

"  Here  ?  "  she  cried.  "  Oh,  he  must  have  been  search- 
ing for  me !  Tell  me,  my  good  girl ;  for  the  love  of 
Heaven,  speak  quickly,  is  he  here  now  ?  " 

"  Y-e-s,"  she  answered. 

Before  Cora  had  a  chance  to  speak  another  word,  the 
maiden  had  passed  out,  whispering  in  a  low  voice  as  she 
went  past  her: 

"  Be  ready  to  fly  with  him  to-night.     I  will  come  for 


134  CORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT. 

you  when  the  moon  rises,  and  when  the  day  breaks  you 
will  be  far  away." 

Cora  could  hardly  believe  that  she  had  heard  aright, 
so  wondrous  was  the  news. 

She  felt  like  screaming  aloud  in  the  wild  exuberance  of 
her  joy. 

Arthur  was  in  the  village;  he  had  come  to  rescue  her 
at  last!  It  seemed  to  her  she  must  die  of  very  joy. 
Every  moment  would  seem  an  age  to  her.  How  would 
he  succeed  in  rescuing  her  from  the  toils  of  this  lynx- 
eyed  creature  who  had  watched  her  so  continuously  by 
night  and  by  day  for  long,  weary  weeks?  She  did  not 
know  when  the  woman  took  time  to  sleep,  so  constant 
was  her  vigil. 

At  last  the  shadows  in  the  tent  began  to  lengthen  and 
darken,  and  the  old  woman  bustled  around  the  tent  set- 
ting things  to  rights.  For  the  first  time  since  she  had 
been  there,  Cora  noticed  that  she  did  not  sit  down  after 
her  supper  and  smoke  her  bamboo  pipe,  as  she  was  in 
the  habit  of  doing.  She  generally  dozed  over  it  a  little. 
Was  she  afraid  of  growing  sleepy  to-night?  Cora  prayed 
fervently  to  Heaven  that  she  might  be  got  out  of  the 
way  somehow. 

As  she  eagerly  watched  the  dark  forms  running  to  and 
fro,  getting  ready  for  their  fires  and  their  dance  when 
the  braves  should  return  home,  she  saw  Minnewaska 
stealing  along  carrying  a  jug  upon  her  shoulder. 

The  woman  saw  her,  too,  as  she  seemed  to  be  hurry- 
ing past,  and  straightway  ran  out  and  hailed  her. 

She  appeared  to  be  insisting  upon  tasting  of  the  con- 
tents of  the  jug,  and  the  girl  seemed  to  be  just  as  un- 
willing to  permit  her  to  do  so.     Taking  it  away  from 


C»RA,  THE   PET  OF  THE  REGIMENT.  125 

Minnewaska  by  main  force,  she  raised  it  to  her  lips  and 
proceeded  to  take  a  long  draught  of  it  ere  Minnewaska 
succeeded  in  getting  it  back  from  her. 

Cora  could  not  understand  the  strange  smile  that  flitted 
over  the  girl's  face  a  moment  after  as  she  nodded  toward 
her.  She  realized  very  soon  after  what  that  meaning 
look  meant,  when  she  saw  her  jailer  nod  to  and  fro  as 
though  unable  to  keep  her  eyes  open. 

At  length  she  succumbed  altogether,  and  with  a  thud 
that  Cora  was  sure  would  break  every  bone  in  her  fat 
body,  she  rolled  over  on  the  floor  of  the  tent,  her  senses 
locked  in  a  deep  slumber. 

It  was  the  first  time  that  she  had  ever  been  off  her 
guard  for  long,  weary  weeks.  Cora  hurried  past  her 
to  the  door  of  the  tent,  and  peered  eagerly  about  her  into 
the  fast  gathering  darkness. 

At  that  moment  Minnewaska  appeared,  gliding  swiftly 
toward  her. 

"  Come,"  she  said,  taking  Cora  by  the  hand ;  "  your 
lover  awaits  you  at  the  turn  of  the  road." 

Cora  was  about  to  spring  out  through  the  door  of  the 
tent,  when  her  companion  held  her  back. 

"  You  must  not  go  like  that,"  she  said.  "  You  must 
dress  as  I  am,  or  you  will  be  captured  at  once.  Then 
they  would  be  sure  to  take  terrible  vengeance  upon  you !  " 

"  What  can  I  do  ?  "  cried  Cora,  wringing  her  hands 
and  turning  to  her  wildly. 

Minnewaska  pointed  to  her  prostrate  keeper. 

"  Take  her  things,"  she  said,  "  and  leave  yours.  Come ; 
I  will  help  you  with  them." 

They  did  not  fit  Cora  in  any  way. 

"  I  will  help  you  out,"  said  her  companion.  "  You 
shall  take  mine," 


126  CORA,  THE  PET  OF  THE  REGIMENT. 

*'  What  will  you  do  ?  "  cridd  Cora,  anxiously. 

"  Never  mind  me ;  only  look  out  for  yourself." 

"  Where  is  the  bend  in  the  road  ?  "  cried  Cora. 

"  I  will  take  you  to  it,"  was  the  whispered  reply;  "  but 
it  will  require  some  courage  to  do  it,  for  you  must  pass 
through  the  heart  of  the  village — its  entire  length.  De- 
tection would  be  fatal  to  you.  It  would  mean  instant 
death.    You  still  say  you  wish  to  risk  it?  " 

White  as  death,  Cora  faced  her. 

"  Yes,  I  will  risk  it,  no  matter  what  comes  of  it,"  she 
said.  "  Better  death  than  to  wed  the  horrible  wretch 
who  vows  he  will  make  me  his  bride  to-morrow.  Lead 
the  way." 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

"  Come,"  said  Minnewaska,  breaking  in  upon  her 
musings ;  "  we  must  start  at  once ;  we  have  no  time  to 
lose.     Ere  the  moon  is  another  hour  higher  the  brave^ 

will  be  returning,  and  then But  we  will  not  look 

forward  to  any  ills  that  might  happen." 

"  I  am  ready,"  said  Cora,  stepping  out  of  the  tent, 
without  one  backward  glance  at  the  narrow  quarters  in 
which  she  had  been  forced  to  remain  a  long,  weary 
month  that  seemed  an  eternity. 

Cora  sprung  to  her  feet  with  the  agility  of  a  deer.  At 
that  moment  Minnewaska  joined  her. 

"  Come,"  she  said ;  "  we  must  fly  while  the  excitement 
is  at  its  height  if  you  would  be  free!  " 

For  answer,  Cora  placed  her  hands  in  hers. 


CORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT.  127 

Stealthily  and  swiftly  as  shadows  they  made  their  way 
among  the  groups  gathered  here  and  there,  keeping  their 
faces  turned  from  the  camp-fire,  and  crouched  down  in 
the  grass  when  they  found  that  they  attracted  attention. 

A  wild  cry  sounded  from  over  the  hills,  terribly  near 
now. 

"  That  is  Joe,  the  half-breed's  cry,"  said  Minnewaska, 
in  a  whisper.  "  He  is  returning  to-night,  instead  of  to- 
morrow, as  every  one  supposed  he  would  do,  and  I  feel 
sure  that  he  intends  the  marriage  to  take  place  to-night." 

"  Oh,  let  us  fly — let  us  fly !  "  cried  Cora,  keeping  her- 
self from  shrieking  by  the  greatest  eflFort. 

"  Hush !  Do  not  let  them  see  you  so  violently  agitated," 
said  her  companion ;  "  it  would  never  do.  Come ;  walk 
steadily  and  carelessly  behind  me.  Remember  that  free- 
dom lies  at  the  end  of  this  path.  It  all  depends  upon 
yourself." 

Cora  was  too  much  agitated  to  even  hear  what  she  was 
saying.  She  dimly  realized  only  one  thing,  and  that  was : 
that  she  must  save  Arthur  from  the  fate  that  awaited 
him. 

The  Sioux  were  so  near  now  that  she  could  hear  their 
shouts. 

"  Have  we  much  further  to  go?  "  panted  Cora. 

"  Half  a  mile  or  more;  but  that  is  not  far.  You  have 
run  the  gantlet  so  far,  surely  you  will  not  fail  at  the  last 
moment." 

"  But  he,  will  they  not  find  himf  "  gasped  Cora,  almost 
beside  herself  with  terror.  "  They  are  coming  from  the 
very  direction  which  we  are  taking.  Hark!  what  does 
that  terrible  shout  mean  ?  "  whispered  Cora. 

"  Ah,  great  Father !  I  fear  they  have  found  your 
lover !  "  moaned  her  companion. 


128  CORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

Cora  could  not  have  grown  any  whiter,  though  the 
words  which  her  companion  had  uttered — "  those  shouts 
mean  that  they  must  have  found  your  lover  " — seemed 
to  break  her  heart  then  and  there. 

"  Let  us  fly  to  him !  "  she  repeated  in  a  voice  of  terror. 

"  You  need  not  fear  to  fly  as  swiftly  as  you  can.  I 
will  keep  up  with  you.  Do  not  fear  for  me !  I  will  take 
you  at  your  word,"  said  Minnewaska.    "  Come  !  " 

Like  two  arrows  from  their  bows  they  shot  forward. 

So  great  was  the  excitement  of  the  men  and  women 
running  hither  and  thither,  that  Cora  prayed  no  one 
would  notice  them, 

"  Come !  "  she  cried,  "  and  quickly." 

Following  Minnewaska's  steps  closely,  she  soon  found 
herself  beyond  the  last  tent. 

"  Do  you  see  that  bunch  of  cotton-wood  trees  just 
ahead,  close  to  the  river  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  Yes,"  said  Cora. 

"  That  is  where  he  was  to  have  waited  for  you,  if  he 
escaped  himself." 

"  Do  you  think  there  is  any  possibility  of  his  having 
failed  to  do  so?  Would  we  not  have  heard  of  it  in  that 
case?  " 

"  I  feel  sure  that  he  got  away  in  safety,  for  I  helped 
him,"  said  Minnewaska  in  a  low  voice.  "  Then  I  re- 
turned to  you.  I  saw  him  beyond  the  end  of  the  village ; 
we  would  have  heard  the  uproar  if  any  one  had  noticed 
his  flight,  quite  the  same  as  in  your  case.  Do  you  think 
you  could  reach  the  cotton- wood  trees  alone?  It  is  not 
safe  for  me  to  venture  any  further  with  you;  I  would 


CORA,  THE   PET   OF  THE   REGIMENT.  129 

be  missed.    It  would  be  best  for  me  to  be  in  the  village 
and  keep  them  from  coming  this  way  in  search  for  you." 

"  You  are  quite  right,"  said  Cora.  "  I  can  not  find 
words  in  which  to  thank  you  for  what  you  have  done  for 
me.  I  pray  that  we  may  meet  again,  Minnewaska,  and  if 
we  ever  do,  you  shall  not  find  that  my  gratitude  has 
waned." 

For  one  moment  they  clasped  each  other's  hands  and 
looked  into  each  other's  faces  in  the  moonlight;  the  next 
instant  the  Indian  maid  was  vanishing  like  a  small  cloud 
in  the  distance,  and  Cora  was  left  alone  on  the  broad 
plains  in  the  darkness  of  the  night.  Slowly  the  moon 
began  to  pierce  through  the  dense  clouds.  Cora  prayed 
that  they  would  obscure  it  until  she  reached  the  cotton-, 
wood  trees  that  loomed  blackly  before  her  in  the  dis- 
tance. 

The  terrible  excitement  through  which  she  had  just 
gone  was  beginning  to  tell  upon  her.  It  seemed  to  her 
as  though  she  would  never  reach  her  destination — wher« 
Arthur  must  be  awaiting  her — Arthur  and  freedom ! 

Ah !  how  sweet  the  words  sounded  to  her ! 

Her  feet  were  beginning  to  lag,  tired  nature  was  com- 
mencing to  assert  itself,  despite  her  courage  andValiant 
spirit. 

She  was  so  tired  she  could  scarcely  take  another  step; 
she  was  beginning  to  lag,  with  the  goal  almost  in  reach. 

Her  head,  too,  began  to  throb.  Ah !  would  she  never 
reach  that  clump  of  cotton-wood  trees?  Suddenly,  di- 
rectly in  the  path  before  her,  a  dark  figure  loomed  up, 
and  advanced  toward  her  with  long,  swinging  strides. 
She  could  not  get  away,  she  could  not  turn  and  fly.  She 
was  like  an  exhausted  bird  who  flutters  down  directly 


130  CORA,  THE    PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT. 

in  the  sportsman's  sight,  realizing  its  danger,  but  incapa- 
ble of  flight, 

Cora's  senses  began  to  whirl.  ^Vithout  a  moan  or  a 
cry  she  fell  headlong  to  the  earth  in  a  little  heap  just 
as  a  dark  figure  reached  her  side. 

It  was  Arthur.  He  could  not  wait  until  she  reached  the 
cotton-wood  trees,  but  came  hurrying  forth  to  meet  her. 

Realizing  that  she  had  fainted,  he  caught  her  in  his 
strong  arms,  and  called  her  name  over  and  over  again, 
begging  her  to  open  her  dear  eyes  and  look  at  him,  speak 
to  him,  the  while  covering  her  face  and  hands  with  pas- 
sionate kisses. 

He  carried  her  to  a  little  stream  near  by,  laved  her 
face  with  its  cooling  waters,  and  in  a  few  moments  more 
he  was  rewarded  by  seeing  her  open  her  eyes. 

"  Oh,  Arthur,  is  it  you  ?  "  she  cried,  clinging  to  him, 
and  sobbing  as  though  her  heart  would  break.  "  Are 
we  safe — have  we  really  escaped  from  the  terrible 
Sioux?" 

"  Yes,  we  have  escaped,  but  we  are  not  yet  safe,"  he 
answered.  "  Every  moment  that  we  loiter  here  is  fraught 
with  the  greatest  possible  danger  of  recapture.  We  must 
make  all  haste  and  try  to  reach  the  nearest  fort  before  we 
are  discovered.  You  are  so  faint  and  weak,  I  fear  we 
shall  not  be  able  to  make  much  progress." 

"  You  had  better  go  and  leave  me,"  she  answered.  **  I 
shall  but  hamper  you." 

"  Do  not  pain  me,  Cora,  by  saying  anything  like  that," 
he  said,  huskily.  "  I  can  not  bear  it.  I  would  rather 
leave  my  heart  behind  me  than  you.  Life  would  be  noth- 
ing to  me  if  I  had  not  found  you  and  saved  you!  But 
come;  every  moment  is  precious  to  us.  They  may  miss 
us  at  any  instant.     In  the  clump  of  bushes  yonder  are 


€ORA,   THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT.  131 

two  ponies.  Do  you  think  you  could  ride  one  of  them — a 
desperate  ride,  if  need  be?  " 

"  Yes,"  she  said.     ^ 

He  noticed  that  it  was  as  much  as  she  could  do,  even 
though  she  leaned  heavily  on  his  arm,  to  make  her  way 
to  the  cotton-wood  trees,  and  it  was  more  difficult  still 
to  mount  into  the  saddle.  By  this  he  knew  how  ex- 
hausted she  must  be,  owing  to  the  thrilling  experience 
through  which  she  had  just  passed. 

They  had  barely  got  seated  in  their  saddles  ere  they 
heard  a  wild  cry  resound  on  the  still  air. 

"  They  have  missed  us,  I  am  sure ! "  cried  Arthur. 

At  that  moment  there  fell  distinctly  on  their  ears  the 
wild  yelling  of  the  Sioux,  the  clatter  of  hoofs,  and  the 
neighing  of  the  Indian  ponies. 

"  God  be  with  us !  "  muttered  Arthur  in  a  low,  hoarse 
cry. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

Arthur  had  decided  to  make  for  Fort  Hadley  at  the 
start;  but  when  he  found  the  Indians  so  close  upon  his 
track,  and  saw  that  they  were  circling  round  toward  the 
west  (the  course  which  they  had  taken  would  bring  them 
between  the  fort  and  himself),  he  realized  that  he  must 
turn  directly  to  the  east,  and  try  to  reach  Fort  Bailey. 

"  Thank  God  you  are  so  brave ! "  cried  Arthur,  turn- 
ing to  Cora.  ^'  You  are  a  general's  daughter,  and  you 
show  it !  " 

They  had  come  five,  seven  miles,  on  that  desperate, 


133  CORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT. 

dead  run.  The  ponies  were  only  flesh  and  blood,  they 
could  not  stand  everything.  He  realized  that  they  must 
commence  to  waver  soon.  Something  must  be  done  by 
strategy. 

In  less  than  twenty  minutes'  time  their  foes  will  be 
within  reach  of  them.  They  enter  the  ravine,  the  horses 
thundering  like  mad.  For  a  moment  they  are  out  of 
sight  of  their  pursuers.  Capture  and  instant  death  stare 
them  both  in  the  face  if  they  are  overtaken.  There  is 
but  one  chance.  He  does  not  have  a  moment  qf  time  to 
speak  to  Cora  about  it.    He  must  act,  and  quickly. 

As  they  near  a  small  clump  of  cotton-wood  trees  he 
makes  his  decision.  Quick  as  thought  he  leans  over  and 
snatches  Cora  from  the  saddle,  springing  that  same  mo- 
ment from  his  own. 

Desperation  gives  him  the  strength  of  a  lion. 

He  clambers  up  the  tree  with  his  precious  burden 
strained  close  to  his  heart,  and  the  thick  leaves  merci- 
fully shade  them. 

The  horses,  relieved  of  their  burdens,  go  tearing  down 
the  ravine  at  a  mad  pace. 

There  had  not  been  an  instant's  pause  from  the  mad 
clatter  of  their  hoofs  to  warn  the  pursuing  foes  that  any 
change  had  taken  place.  At  that  instant  the  moon  went 
behind  a  cloud.    Surely  Heaven  was  merciful,  he  thought. 

On,  on,  they  came,  yelling  and  shouting,  like  the  rush 
of  the  wind,  a  veritable  pandemonium  of  excited,  blood- 
thirsty savages. 

Down  the  deep  ravine  they  thundered.  One  instant 
more  and  they  were  abreast  of  the  tree.  He  dared  not 
even  breathe,  lest  their  sharp  ears  should  detect  it. 

As  they  dashed  on,  one  of  the  Sioux  turned  and  said 
something  to   his  companion  about  the   tree.      For  an 


CORA,  THE  PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT.  133 

instant  all  eyes  turned  in  that  direction.  Arthur's  heart 
stood  still.  He  lived  hours  in  that  one  second.  Would 
the  foremost  Sioux  who  had  called  attention  to  the  tree 
draw  rein? 

God !  the  man  paused,  and  lagged  behind  the  rest. 

Arthur's  trembling  hand  stole  to  his  breast-pocket, 
and  he  drew  out  his  revolver,  and  pressed  it  close  to  the 
temple  of  the  beautiful  girl  that  was  resting  so  heavily 
against  his  shoulder. 

Another  instant — that  seemed  the  length  of  eternity — - 
and  the  Sioux  thundered  on  to  overtake  his  companions. 

With  a  long-drawn,  quivering  breath  of  excitement 
Arthur  restored  the  revolver  to  his  breast-pocket. 

He  realized  that  the  Sioux  would  soon  overtake  the 
ponies  ahead,  and  finding  out  that  they  had  been  tricked, 
their  anger  would  know  no  bounds.  He  must  make  for 
the  bank  of  the  creek  with  his  unconscious  burden. 

It  was  no  easy  matter  to  convey  Cora  thither,  for  she 
was  a  dead  weight  in  his  arms. 

When  at  length  he  gained  the  creek,  and  applied  the 
cool  water  to  the  girl's  face,  she  quickly  revived. 

He  did  not  have  to  explain  to  her  all  that  had  hap- 
pened. 

"  We  have  escaped !  "  she  cried,  clinging  to  him. 

"  We  are  not  yet  out  of  danger,"  he  said. 

"  Are  we  to  go  in  that  little  boat  ?  "  she  cried,  faintly. 

A  cry  of  joy  broke  from  Arthur's  lips. 

"  I  did  not  see  it  before !  "  he  cried.  "  That  is  just 
what  will  save  us." 

It  was  a  very  small  skiff,  fastened  to  an  overhanging 
sapling. 

In  less  time  than  it  takes  to  tell  it,  he  had  placed  Cora 
in  it,  caught  up  the  oars^  and  was  soon  pulling  for  deac 


134  CORA,  THE    PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT. 

life  down  the  stream.  The  great  strain  was  beginning 
to  tell  upon  him. 

Suddenly  the  oars  slipped  from  Arthur's  grasp. 

"  My  God,  Cora,  it's  all  up  with  me !  They  have  hit 
me  this  time.    I — I  fear  I  am  dying !  " 

"  Oh,  no,  no !  "  the  girl  cried  piteously ;  "  do  not  say 
that,  or  I  shall  die  too." 

"  Take  the  oars,  and — ^and  do  the  best  you  can,"  cried 
Arthur.    "  Never  mind  me." 

He  sunk  into  the  bottom  of  the  boat  as  he  spoke. 
Cora  did  take  the  oars  and  wield  them  with  a  will. 

Suddenly  the  flying  arrows  about  her  ceased ;  the  yells 
seemed  to  grow  fainter  and  fainter.  What  could  it 
mean? 

Perhaps  they  were  launching  skiffs  and  pursuing  them. 
Surely  it  must  be  that. 

At  a  sudden  bend  in  the  river  she  saw  that  the  water 
was  divided  here — ^the  stream  was  divided  and  flowed 
in  two  directions.  She  knew  that  one  of  them  led  to  the 
fort,  the  other  one  directly  through  an  Indian  village 
some  few  miles  distant  from  the  one  in  which  she  had 
been  held  captive. 

Which  stream  should  she  take? 

"  Heaven  direct  me,"  said  the  girl  faintl/,  raising  her 
pale  face  to  the  starlit  heavens.  "  I — I  will  take  the 
stream  to  the  right.  Surely  God  will  not  1^  me  go 
astray !  " 

She  turned  her  skiff  hastily  to  the  right,  and  commenced 
to  pull  hard  against  the  stream,  but  it  seemed  to  move 
on  very  slowly. 

On  and  on  she  rowed  until  her  arms  gave  out,  and  she 
could  not  pull  another  stroke  if  her  life  had  depended 


CORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE  REGIMENT.  135 

upon  it.  She  was  obliged  to  let  the  boat  drift  on  whither 
it  would. 

Why  were  the  Sioux  so  quiet?  What  terrible  danger 
did  their  silence  portend? 

Ever  and  anon  she  glanced  over  her  shoulder.  There 
was  nothing  in  sight,  no  sound  broke  upon  the  stillness 
of  the  night. 

Was  Arthur,  who  was  still  lying  in  the  bottom  of  the 
boat,  dead  or  dying? 

She  called  to  him  piteously;  but  there  was  no  sound, 
not  even  the  sound  of  a  breath.  With  a  wild,  bitter  cry, 
Cora  sunk  down  on  her  knees  in  the  boat,  calling  his 
name  over  and  over  again. 

Her  hand  came  in  contact  with  his  face;  it  was  still 
warm.  She  placed  her  hand  over  his  heart!  Oh,  joy 
beyond  words,  it  beat  faintly !  he  still  lived. 

She  reached  over  the  boat  and  caught  cooling  water  in 
her  hands  and  laved  his  face  with  it  as  he  had  done  for 
her.  She  was  rewarded  by  hearing  a  faint  moan  from 
his  lips,  and  a  moment  after  he  opened  his  eyes. 

"  Thank  God  you  are  not  dead !  " 

"  No,"  he  answered,  faintly.  "  It  is  not  even  a  mortal 
wound  that  I  have  received,  still,  it  is  very  painful.  An 
arrow  pierced  my  shoulder.  I  meant  not  to  succumb  to 
it,  but  I  think  I  must  have  done  so  through  sheer  weak- 
ness. Where  are  we  now?  What  has  become  of  our 
foes?" 

"  I  do  not  know,"  said  Cora ;  and  then  she  proceeded  to 
tell  him  just  what  had  occurred  during  his  brief  uncon- 
sciousness, then  she  told  him  of  the  two  streams. 

"  Which  did  you  take  ?  "  asked  Arthur,  hoarsely. 

"  The  one  to  the  right,"  she  answered. 

"  God  have  pity  on  us !  "  he  sobbed  rather  than  spoke. 


136  CORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE  REGIMENT. 

"  Every  moment  that  we  are  going  in  this  direction  we 
are  drifting  further  away  from  friends,  and  nearer 
to  the  very  heart  of  the  camp  of  the  Sioux.  Turn  the 
boat,  for  Heaven's  sake,  if  you  can.  If  not,  we  are  surely 
lost!" 

He  saw  that  she  was  unable  to  do  so  it — her  strength 
was  gone. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

As  day  after  day  dragged  their  slow  lengths  by,  and 
no  tiding  reached  the  fort  of  the  whereabouts  of  Arthur 
Rollins,  who  had  kept  up  a  continual  search  for  Cora, 
the  agony  of  his  friends  began  to  increase  hourly. 

General  Ormsby  had  long  since  ceased  to  pace  the 
floor  until  gray  dawn  had  stolen  in  upon  his  misery,  and 
had  settled  down  into  a  state  of  melancholy,  shutting  him- 
self away  entirely  from  all  his  friends,  save  the  old  house- 
keeper and  one  or  two  commanding  officers,  with  whom 
he  was  obliged  to  communicate ;  yet  even  these  saw  very 
little  of  him. 

Now  was  the  time  to  turn  the  tide  of  affairs  in  her  own 
favor.  Miss  Bitterwood  told  herself,  after  vainly  attempt- 
ing to  form  some  plan  to  bring  her  niece  and  the  general 
more  frequently  into  each  other's  presence. 

Delays  were  dangerous,  she  told  herself;  and  her 
woman's  intuition  led  her  to  believe  that  the  breach  be- 
tween them  was  widening  daily. 

One  day  she  came  to  Lyle's  room  with  a  frown  of  im- 


CORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE  REGIMENT.  137 

patience  on  her  face,  and  sternly  demanded  an  interview 
with  that  impetuous  beauty. 

"  You  are  ruining  your  prospects,  as  well  as  making 
my  life  a  continually  worrisome  one,"  she  said,  fret- 
fully. "  There  is  a  limit  to  all  things,  and  the  end  of  this 
affair  will  be,  you  will  have  to  go  back  to  your  old  life 
of  toil  and  hardship,  unless  you  make  a  more  favorable 
impression  upon  the  general,  and  without  further  delay 
marry  him." 

"  There  is  very  little  happiness  or  prospects,  as  you 
call  them,  where  you  are,  aunt,"  the  girl  replied,  moodily. 
"  I  may  as  well  tell  you,"  she  went  on,  "  that  I  have  made 
up  my  mind,  and  I  intend  not  to  change  it,  no  matter  what 
any  one  says,  in  regard  to  marrying  General  Ormsby.  I 
detest  him  every  day — yes,  every  hour  of  my  life,  and  you 
know  as  well  as  you  want  to  that  I  would  be  the  most 
miserable  being  on  earth  if  I  yoked  myself  to  him.  You 
are  quite  right  when  you  say  there  is  a  limit  to  all  things. 
I  am  only  human,  and  I  refuse  to  talk  about  him  after 
this,  or  even  to  allow  him  to  enter  my  thoughts  for  an 
instant  longer." 

General  Ormsby  would  soon  die  of  grief,  as  her  aunt 
had  predicted,  and  there  was  a  million  of  dollars  to  which 
she  would  fall  heir  if  she  married  him  before  it  was  too 
late. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

Miss     Bitterwood's     conviction     concerning    General 
Ormsby  was  indeed  quite  true.     He  seemed  to  shrink 


138  CORA,   THE    PET   OF  THE   REG1ME>;T. 

from  Lyle  quite  as  much  as  he  had  once  sought  her 
presence. 

In  the  silence  of  his  own  apartment  he  cried  out  to 
Heaven  that  it  must  certainly  have  been  God's  judgment 
upon  hirn  for  neglecting  his  daughter  and  seeking  to  wed 
one  scarcely  more  than  Cora's  age.  It  seemed  to  him  that 
he  must  have  been  mad  to  even  have  contemplated  such 
a  step. 

When  Arthur  Rollins  had  started  out  in  search  of  Cora, 
his  hope  had  been  great;  but  as  time  brought  no  tidings 
of  him,  the  old  general  settled  down  in  an  abject  apathy 
terrible  to  see. 

"  They  have  both  met  the  same  fate,"  he  would  mutter 
over  and  over  again. 

One  night  the  occupants  of  the  cottage  were  startled 
by  a  hoarse  cry  coming  from  the  direction  of  the  gen- 
eral's room.  When  they  gathered  about  him  they  found 
him  shivering  as  one  stricken  with  palsy. 

"  I  have  had  a  terrible  dream !  "  he  cried,  "  or  rather, 
an  apparition  passed  before  my  eyes.  I  saw  Arthur  and 
my  darling  in  a  little  boat,  surrounded  by  savages,  and,  oh, 
God!  he  shot  my  darling  through  the  heart  rather  than 
that  she  should  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  savages  who 
were  yelling  like  mad  about  them !  " 

From  that  moment  on  the  old  general  refused  to  be 
comforted,  and  he  began  to  fail  rapidly. 

"  There  is  but  one  thing  to  be  done,"  said  the  physician 
of  the  garrison  to  the  commanding  officers,  "  and  that  is 
to  secure  for  General  Ormsby  a  leave  of  absence  to  re- 
turn home.  He  is  not  able,  since  his  great  trouble,  to  be 
on  duty.    He  must  be  replaced  by  a  younger  man." 

All  his  friends  seemed  to  concur  with  this  opinion. 


CORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT.  139 

When  this  information  reached  Miss  Bitterwood's  ears, 
she  hurried  at  once  to  her  niece's  apartment. 

"  What  I  have  predicted  has  happened  at  last !  "  she 
cried.    "  The  general  is  to  return  East." 

"  Well  ?  "  said  Lyle,  looking  up  from  the  book  she  was 
reading. 

"  General  Ormsby  has  concluded  not  to  reopen  his 
house.  What,  then,  is  to  become  of  me,  and  yourself,  for 
that  matter,  I  ask?" 

The  girl  started  to  her  feet.  Now  that  ruin  stared  her 
in  the  face,  it  brought  her  to  a  realization  of  what  she  had 
lost. 

"He  will  surely  take  us  back  with  him,  aunt?"  she 
queried.    "  You  know  he  could  not  leave  us  here." 

"  When  we  reach  the  States  again  we  will  have  to  shift 
for  ourselves.  You  had  a  cool  million  within  your  grasp, 
and  you  let  it  fly  away  from  you  like  the  down  on  a  this- 
tle. You  deserve  to  be  poor,  and  work  hard.  I  shall 
have  no  pity  for  you." 

Lyle's  face  had  grown  very  white  indeed. 

"  All  is  not  lost  yet,  aunt,"  she  said,  hoarsely.  "  I  will 
see  General  Ormsby  myself  and  have  a  talk  with  him.  He 
has  asked  me  to  marry  him,  and  I  will  hold  him  to  it.  I 
will  have  his  million,  or  I  will  know  the  reason  why !  " 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do  ?  "  asked  Miss  Bitterwood, 
as  she  sprung  toward  the  door. 

"  See  General  Ormsby  at  once,"  she  replied. 

Her  aunt  did  not  attempt  to  detain  her.  She  might  as 
well  see  him,  she  thought,  and  know  the  worst. 

Lyle  Warner  flew  quickly  down  the  narrow  stairway, 
and  tapped  lightly  at  the  general's  door. 

In  answer  to  his  "  Come  in,"  she  glided  into  the  apart- 
ment. 


14.0  CORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT. 

He  was  sitting  at  the  window  in  his  arm-chair,  gazing 
with  his  field-glass  out  upon  the  barren,  trackless  plain, 
just  as  he  had  sat  each  day,  straining  his  eyes  out  over 
the  grassy  waste  in  the  vain  hope  of  seeing  her  who  came 
not. 

"  Oh,  general,"  cried  Lyle,  gliding  up  to  him,  and 
kneeling  at  the  hassock  at  his  feet,  and  burying  her  head 
upon  his  arm,  "  you  do  not  know  how  it  grieves  me  to  see 
you  sitting  here  so  lonely!  Do  let  me  remain  here  be- 
side you  and  try  to  cheer  you  up." 

He  shook  his  head  slowly  from  side  to  side. 

"  I  shall  never  feel  cheery  again,"  he  moaned.  "  My 
only  hope,  my  constant  prayer,  is  to  die,  and  be  with  my 
child  up  there." 

"  Oh,  do  not  talk  like  that !  "  cried  Lyle,  wringing  her 
hands.  "  Remember  that  you  have  me  left  to  love  and 
comfort  you." 

Again  he  shook  his  head. 

"  No,  no,  Lyle ;  that  was  all  a  mistake !  "  he  cried. 
"  Try  and  forget  anything  of  that  kind  that  may  have 
been  said  between  us." 

She  started  to  her  feet  and  looked  at  him. 

"  You  do  not  mean  that.  General  Ormsby !  "  she  panted. 
"  After  winning  all  my  young  heart's  love,  do  you  mean 
that  you  would  cast  me  off  after  that  fashion?  It  takes 
two  people  to  make  a  bargain,  and  it  takes  two  to  break 
one!" 


CORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE  REGIMENT.  141 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

General  Ormsby  rose  to  his  feet  with  g^eat  dignity,  and 
slowly  faced  her. 

"  You  forget  yourself,  Miss  Warner,"  he  said.  "  I 
hardly  think  that  you  can  mean  all  that  you  are  saying. 
It  does  not  become  a  woman  to  insist  upon  marriage  when 
it  has  become  distasteful  to  the  other  party  equally  inter- 
ested. I  have  been  thinking  the  matter  all  over,  as  I  told 
you,  and  I  see  that  it  would  not  be  right  for  me  to  think 
of  marrying  you.  I  may  have  been  a  little  hasty,  but  even 
so,  it  was  the  fault  of  the  head,  not  the  heart.  I  did  not 
mean  to  cause  you  grief  in  any  way.  The  time  will  come 
when  you  will  look  back  to  this  scene  and  say :  *  The  old 
general  was  right.  I  thank  Heaven  that  I  did  not  make 
the  sacrifice  of  becoming  his  bride.'  You  will  in  time 
meet  some  good,  true  young  man  who  will  easily  make  up 
the  loss." 

'As  Lyle  saw  all  prospect  of  the  Ormsby  million  fading 
from  her  grasp,  she  became  frantic,  almost  wildly  hys- 
terical. 

She  had  seen  too  much  of  life  to  go  back  to  work  now; 
she  would  win  while  yet  there  was  a  fighting  chance  of 
saving  herself  from  poverty. 

"  Nothing  that  you  can  say  changes  my  determination," 
she  declared.  "  No  man  should  ask  a  woman  to  marry 
him  unless  he  intends  to  keep  his  promise,  or  to  stand 
the  chance  of  being  made  to  do  so." 

"  I  can  not  believe  you  mean  all  you  say,"  he  repeated. 

"  You  shall  see,"  she  declared. 

"  Miss  Warner,"  he  said,  rising  to  the  occasion,  "  I 
would  not  marry  you  now  if  you  were  the  only  woman  in 


143  •ORA,  THE    PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT. 

the  world,  and  if  it  were  to  save  my  life !  Of  all  things 
on  this  earth,  I  abominate  a  mercenary  person.  I  brought 
you  out  to  Fort  Hadley,  and  I  will  return  you  to  your 
friends  in  the  East.  More  than  that  you  must  not  expect 
of  me!" 

"If  I  were  to  sue  you,  the  law  would  give  me  the 
greater  part  of  your  fortune,"  she  declared, 

"  We  shall  see,"  said  the  general,  shaking  his  cane 
fiercely  at  her.  "  I  will  make  a  test  case  of  this  for  the 
benefit  of  all  elderly  men  who  may  be  tempted  to  marry 
young  women,  and  open  their  eyes  to  the  fact  that  they 
are  marrying  them  to  spend  their  money.  Go  right  ahead 
with  your  breach  of  promise  suit,  young  woman.  You 
will  find  old  General  Ormsby,  who  never  shrunk  from  a 
battle  yet,  is  ready  to  meet  a  foe  upon  any  ground,  and 
cross  swords  if  need  be." 

Lyle  saw  that  she  had  gone  too  far ;  but  there  was  no 
way  of  retreating  from  what  she  had  said. 

"  I  wish  you  good  luck  with  your  lawsuit,  young 
woman,"  he  said,  opening  the  door  for  her  to  pass  out. 

Miss  Bitterwood,  who  was  leaning  breathlessly  over  the 
baluster,  listening  to  the  wrangle  of  words  with  a  face 
white  as  a  sheet,  cried  out  to  herself  that  all  was  lost. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

Without  another  word,  Lyle  left  the  room,  a  strange 
glitter  creeping  into  her  dark,  restless  eyes.  The  excite- 
ment of  that  interview  had  left  her  dazed,  and  with  a 
horror  of  what  was  coming  stealing  over  her. 


CORA,  THE    PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT.  143 

"  I  will  be  even  with  him !  "  she  said,  under  her  breath. 
"  The  craven,  cowardly  old  man  will  grovel  at  my  feet 
and  beg  for  pardon,  and  he  will  be  glad  to  let  me  make 
my  own  terms,  or  my  name's  not  Lyle  Warner !  " 

The  very  first  person  she  met  as  she  entered  the  hall 
was  Miss  Bitterwood,  coming  toward  her  with  a  face 
white  as  death.  Instead  of  uttering  the  words  which 
trembled  on  her  lips,  she  motioned  the  girl  into  her  apart- 
ment. 

Lyle  sunk  into  the  nearest  chair,  her  aunt  locking  the 
door  nervously  and  dropping  into  a  seat  beside  her,  a 
frantic  expression  crossing  her  comely  features. 

"  You  saw  him,  and  all  is  over  between  you  ?  "  she 
asked,  suddenly,  her  nerves  wrought  up  to  the  highest 
pitch  of  excitement. 

"  I  will  tell  you  all  about  it,"  Lyle  answered,  moodily, 
her  flashing  eyes  telling  their  own  story. 

For  nearly  an  hour  they  sat  there  together,  talking 
over  the  strange  turn  affairs  had  taken,  until  Lyle  had 
quite  exhausted  herself  with  her  fierce  upbraidings  of  the 
old  general. 

This  was  indeed  a  pretty  state  of  affairs ;  but  it  must 
not,  it  should  not  end  in  this  way,  she  told  herself  over 
and  over  again. 

"  Indeed  you  will  not  go  away  among  strangers.  You 
will  stay  just  where  you  are,  and  become  his  bride !  "  de- 
clared Miss  Bitterwood,  vehemently.  "  Two  against  one 
will  have  some  weight,  I  reckon,  or  I  will  know  the 
reason  why." 

At  that  moment  Miss  Bitterwood  entered  General 
Ormsby's  private  office.  He  was  seated  in  a  chair  by 
the  table,  and  his  face  wore  a  dejected,  yet  quite  deter- 


144  CORA,  THE  PET  OF  THE  REGIMENT. 

mined,  expression  that  boded  no  good  for  the  errand 

upon  which  she  had  come. 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  General  Ormsby,  for  interrupting 
you,"  she  said,  summoning  all  her  courage  for  the  coming 
attack. 

"  Take  a  seat,"  he  said,  coolly.  "  You  are  just  the 
person  I  wished  to  see.  Pity  you  hadn't  come  here  a  little 
sooner;  there  was  a  mighty  storm  brewing  about  the 
place,  and  that  Miss  Warner  was  the  cause  of  it  all." 

"  Lyle — Miss  Warner,  the  cause  of  it  ?  "  she  panted, 
wildly.  "  Why,  every  one  knows  that  the  girl  thinks  so 
much  of  you.  What  on  earth  could  you  two  have  been 
talking  about  to  cause  such  ill  feelings  as  this,  I  won- 
der?" 

"  I  should  think  it  the  strangest  thing  imaginable  if 
anything  of  so  serious  a  nature  as  that  which  transpired 
between  the  young  lady  and  myself  was  not  told  you 
before  now.  In  short,  the  young  girl's  friendship  with  me 
is  at  an  end  forever,"  said  the  general,  bluntly. 

As  he  said  the  words,  Miss  Bitterwood  fell  back  in  her 
chair,  trembling,  shrinking  from  him,  as  if  he  had  dealt 
her  a  sudden  blow. 

"  I — I  thought  you  had  too  kind  a  heart,  general,"  she 
said,  with  a  touch  of  sadness  in  her  voice,  "  to  change 
your  sentiments,  and  to  turn  your  liking  against  a  poor, 
friendless  young  girl,  who  has  neither  father,  mother,  nor 
brother  to  turn  to  in  life's  sad  warfare,  because  of  some 
unknown  change  that  has  come  over  you." 

"  Let  us  bury  the  hatchet  and  be  friends  as  we  once 
were,"  he  said,  cheerily.  "  Give  me  a  chance  of  saying  a 
few  words  in  my  own  defense,  and  after  that  perhaps 
you  will  not  judge  me  as  harshly  as  you  do  now,  and  I 
am  well  assured  that  you  would  never  think  of  being 


CORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE  REGIMENT.  145 

as  exacting  as  this  girl,  as  unreasonable,  is  the  word  that 
would  suit  me  better." 

"  Go  on,"  she  said,  gazing  at  him  attentively,  wistfully, 
yet  grieving  in  silence  over  his  words. 

She  heard  his  deep,  rich  old  voice  saying  earnestly : 

"  Miss  Bitterwood,  you  and  I  have  been  old  friends  for 
a  long  time,  and  in  all  the  years  that  you  have  known  me, 
I  am  sure  that  you  can  never  recall  one  instance  wherein 
I  have  ever  acted  dishonorably  toward  any  one.  She, 
Miss  Warner,  has  been  trying  to  convince  me  against  my 
better  judgment  that  I  am  trifling  with  her  feelings  when 
I  tell  her  that  I  do  not  desire  to  enter  the  state  of  matri- 
mony with  her,  that  we  are  entirely  unsuited  to  each 
other.  Feeling  as  I  do  about  it,  it  would  be  entirely 
wrong  to  encourage  such  a  thought  for  an  instant,  let 
alone  to  take  such  a  step." 

No  one  could  have  been  more  respectful  in  his  simple 
arguings  than  he,  she  well  knew,  but  she  must  talk  for 
the  girl's  interest,  and  she  answered  in  a  more  exacting 
tone: 

"  You  did  not  tell  her  that  these  were  your  views  when 
you  first  became  acquainted  with  her.  You  led  her  to  be- 
lieve that  she  filled  an  aching  void  in  your  heart.  You 
were  always  by  her  side;  and  she — we  believed  you 
wanted  to  marry  her — if  she  continued  to  care  for  you  at 
the  expiration  of  a  year,  which  is  now  up.  Is  this  fair 
from  one  who  professes  to  be  honorable?"  she  asked, 
her  noble  face  lighting  up  with  a  glow  of  wounded  pride, 
remorse  and  fear  for  her  niece's  peril  making  sad  commo- 
tion in  her  heart. 

He  understood  that  Lyle,  orphaned  and  homeless, 
claimed  all  her  protection  and  sympathy,  and  he  felt 
that  it  was  little  more  than  useless  to  argue  his  cause 


146  CORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT. 

with  Miss  Bitterwood;  yet  he  made  one  more  effort  to 
convince  her  that  he  was  right  in  his  decision. 

"  I  was  a  fool  to  allow  myself  to  be  smitten  by  her 
charms  and  her  girlish  wiles,  in  the  first  place,"  he  went 
on ;  "  still,  I  had  never  felt  a  real  thrill  of  love  for  her 
beyond  that  pity  for  her  friendless  young  life  that  had 
never  known  the  brightness  and  sunshine  that  a  great 
many  girls  are  surrounded  with  from  the  cradle  to  the 
grave." 

General  Ormsby  rose  and  crossed  the  room  to  where 
she  sat. 

What  a  strange  position  for  a  man  to  be  placed  in,  he 
thought — forced  to  love  against  his  will ! 

"  Miss  Bitterwood,  will  you  look  up  into  my  face  a 
moment  ?  "  he  asked,  earnestly.  "  I  have  something  more 
important  to  talk  to  you  about  than  this  foolish  entangle- 
ment that  you  may  thank  Heaven  I  am  well  out  of.  What 
if  I  have  a  deeper  and  more  sensible  affection  in  my  heart 
for  an  older  person,  a  more  sensible  person,  one  nearer 
my  own  age?  I  have  waited  a  long  time  before  I  made 
this  decision.  I  have  summered  and  wintered  her  who 
is  better  fitted  to  walk  beside  me  in  the  remaining  journey 
of  my  life.  Do  you  not  know  who  it  is?  Your  face  has 
been  close  to  me  all  through  the  lonesome  years  of  my 
life.    You  only  would  be  a  fitting  life-companion  for  me." 

"  General  Ormsby,  do — can  you  mean  it  ?  "  she  gasped, 
scarcely  believing  that  she  had  heard  aright. 

"  Of  course  I  do ;  and,  what  is  more,  this  is  the  only 
declaration  that  has  ever  come  from  my  heart  since — since 
I  wooed  Cora's  mother." 

Miss  Bitterwood  dried  her  tears,  and  a  crimson  flush 
of  happiness  suffused  her  half-hidden  features. 

"  But  you  and  I  know  Lyle  well  enough  to  understand 


CORAj  THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT.  147 

that  she  will  never  in  the  world  consent  to  such  a  change 
as  this,"  she  breathed,  faintly.  "  We — we  can  be  noth- 
ing to  each  other  on  that  account." 

"  Yes,  we  can,"  said  the  general,  reassuring  her.  "  You 
would  surely  not  give  me  up  for  her  sake,  would  you, 
lovely  one  ?  " 

For  a  moment  there  was  silence  between  them.  Miss 
Bitterwood  was  thanking  Heaven  for  the  cheer  and  com- 
panionship that  had  been  sent  to  brighten  her  sad  life. 
How  strangely  eventful  her  future  was  to  be !  she  thought. 
How  different  from  what  she  had  ever  imagined ! 

"  Is  it  '  yes  '  or  '  no  '  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  Yes,"  she  answered,  faintly. 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

"  I  shall  take  you  at  your  word.  Miss  Bitterwood,"  said 
the  general.  "  You  have  promised  to  marry  me,  and  I 
will  see  that  there  is  no  chance  for  you  to  back  out ;  "  this 
with  a  merry  twinkle  in  his  eye.  A  sudden  thought  came 
to  him,  and  he  made  up  his  mind  then  and  there  that  he 
would  put  it  into  execution  at  once.  "  How  would  it  do 
to  send  for  the  chaplain  of  the  regiment  and  have  the 
knot  tied  here,  and  at  once  ?  At  our  time  of  life  we  are 
not  so  particular  about  having  much  fuss  and  ceremony; 
besides,  since  I  have  lost  my  idolized  daughter,  my  heart 
h  heavy,  and  I  want  everything  quiet  aroimd  me." 

"  It  is  so  sudden,  my — general,"  she  said ;  "  perhaps  I 


148  G»RA,   THE    PET   OF  THE   REGIMENT. 

ought  to  go  away  a  little  while  and  get  myself  ready  for 
— the  marriage." 

*'  There  is  no  time  like  the  present,"  he  said,  resolutely. 
"  Don't  mind  your  looks  in  this  case.  A  man  never 
thinks  of  how  a  woman's  dressed  when  he  makes  up  his 
mind  upon  a  hasty  wedding." 

So  saying,  he  touched  the  servant's  bell,  and  in  response 
to  his  summons  an  orderly  tapped  at  his  door, 

"  I  want  you  to  hunt  the  chaplain  up,  and  tell  him  he 
must  come  here  to  my  office  without  delay.  See  that  no 
one  else  is  allowed  to  disturb  me,"  were  his  orders. 

The  soldier  set  out  at  once  to  execute  his  orders,  the 
general  going  to  the  veranda  and  gazing  after  him. 

"  What  a  sight  I  am,"  thought  Miss  Bitterwood,  rue- 
fully, finding  herself  alone  for  an  instant. 

She  brushed  her  hair  back,  with  its  dark,  severe  waves, 
smoothed  her  plain  collar,  rearranged  the  folds  of  her 
gray  dress,  made  in  its  unpretentious  style,  and  took  a 
hasty  look  at  her  plain,  radiant  face,  which  the  last  rays 
of  the  setting  sun  were  lighting  up. 

While  she  stood  there,  bewildered,  wondering  whether 
it  could  be  reality  or  not,  the  door  opened  suddenly  and 
General  Ormsby  entered,  followed  by  the  minister. 

"  I  did  not  have  to  wait  long  for  our  old  friend,"  said 
the  general.  "  There  is  no  need  for  any  preliminaries — 
you  may  as  well  proceed  at  once  with  the  ceremony." 

Five  minutes  later,  and  he  pronounced  them  man  and 
wife. 

General  Ormsby  clasped  the  hands  of  the  plain,  trusty 
woman  in  his  own  strong  palms,  and  led  her  to  a  seat, 
taking  a  chair  beside  her. 

"  You  must  forget  the  old  life  of  hardship  you  have 


CORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT.  149 

had,"  be  said,  gallantly.  "  We  must  live  only  for  happi- 
ness and  each  other." 

"  I  shall  enjoy  the  future  years  immensely,"  she  de- 
clared, smilingly. 

"  Come,"  said  the  general ;  "  the  parson  has  left  us  long 
ago.  No  doubt  he  has  told  half  the  people  of  the  fort  the 
news  by  this  time.  They  will  all  be  waiting  for  us — ^let  us 
go  to  the  little  reception-room  and  prepare  to  receive  them 
quietly." 

"  It  will  be  quite  an  ordeal  for  me  to  meet  them  at 
present,"  she  said,  turning  in  the  opposite  direction.  "  I 
will  go  to  my  room  and  steady  my  nerves  a  little,"  she 
said,  "  and  make  myself  presentable." 

"  I  suppose  you  will  have  your  own  way,  after  the 
fashion  of  brides,"  he  said,  laughingly.  "  You  will  meet 
me  at  luncheon,  and  a  few  of  our  friends  will  be  present 
to  greet  you,    I  hope  they  will  not  be  kept  waiting  long." 

Leaving  the  general  to  his  own  reflections,  the  newly 
made  wife  went  hurriedly  to  her  own  room  in  search  of 
Lyle. 

How  should  she  break  the  news  to  her?  she  Wondered, 
anxiously. 

Would  not  the  girl  rave,  or  perhaps  do  worse  ?  In  her 
desperation  and  ungovernable  temper,  she  might  even  be 
tempted  to  take  her  young  life  in  a  fit  of  remorse. 

Who  could  foretell  how  this  strange  marriage  would 
end,  after  all?  she  pondered. 

With  a  crimson  flush  upon  her  face,  Mrs.  Ormsby  drew 
the  girl  hurriedly  into  her  room,  holding  up  a  finger  wam- 
ingly  to  her. 

"  Hush !  "  she  said,  speaking  scarcely  above  a  whisper. 
"  You  must  become  more  lady-like,  and  not  speak  your 
mind  out  as  you  have  been  doing  in  the  past.     I  am  de- 


150  CORA,  THE   PET   OF   THE   REGIMENT. 

lighted  with  my  interview  with  General  Ormsby.  I  wish 
we  had  come  to  this  understanding  long  ago,  instead  of 
our  beating  about  the  bush  in  the  way  we  have  been  doing 
so  long.  Draw  your  chair  up  nearer,  Lyle;  there  is  no 
longer  any  use  in  my  concealing  the  truth  from  you,  and 
my  heart  tells  me  that  you  will  rejoice  with  me,  my  dear 
niece,  when  you  learn  from  my  lips  what  has  transpired." 

"  Is  General  Ormsby  going  to  do  handsomely  by  me, 
after  all?"  the  girl  asked,  impatiently.  "  He  had  better, 
if  he  knows  when  he  is  well  off !  " 

"  Leave  all  that  to  me,"  interposed  her  aunt.  "  I  will 
see  that  you  are  abundantly  provided  for — that  you  have 
everything  you  need,  and,  under  the  circumstances,  you 
will  be  spared  all  the  worry  and  bother  of  looking  after 
the  general ;  you  will  be  just  like  a  daughter  to  both " 

"  But  this  part  of  it  doesn't  interest  me  one  particle. 
'  Like  a  daughter ! '  What  has  that  to  do  with  my  set- 
tlement? I  thought  you  went  down  there  to  see  him 
about  my  becoming  his  bride,"  she  went  on,  fretfully ;  "  if 
not,  he  was  to  make  me  over  a  competence  for  his  back- 
ing out  that  would  make  me  independent  for  life.  I  hope 
you  didn't  let  him  put  you  off  like  a  simpleton  by  his  say- 
ing he  would  regard  me  as  a  daughter  always,  or  some 
light  little  sentiment  of  that  kind,  to  bridge  things  over 
in  his  own  way,  and  hoodwink  me,  because  he  found 
you  were  easily  appeased.  I  suppose  you  even  forgot 
yourself,  and  broke  the  sacred  promise  you  made  me, 
by  telling  him  that  you  were  my  aunt !  "  this  contempt- 
uously. 

She  would  not  for  the  world  have  had  any  one  suspect 
that  she  was  in  any  way  related  to  the  poor,  dependent 
old  housekeeper. 

"  You  will  not  give  me  a  chance  to  get  in  a  word  edge- 


CORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT.  151 

ways,"  said  that  lady.  "  I  hope,  Lyle,  when  you  know 
all,  that  we  shall  be  as  good  friends  as  we  were  in  our 
struggling  past.  Remember,  my  dear  girl,  that  I  have 
always  done  everything  in  my  power  for  you,  and  that  I 
always  will.  As  long  as  I  have  a  dollar,  I  will  deny  my- 
self things  to  share  all  my  prosperity  with  you.  I  would 
be  very  unhappy  to  have  wealth  and  everything  at  my 
command,  with  this  happiness  I  am  now  to  share,  without 
doing  all  I  possibly  can  for  you,  and  to  help  you  get  a 
man  with  the  means  of  supporting  you  in  good  style  some 
day." 

"  Why,  what  in  the  world  are  you  talking  about,  Aunt 
Bitterwood?  At  the  rate  you  are  going  on,  one  would 
certainly  believe  you  had  been  taking  leave  of  your 
senses,  or  that  the  old  general  had  turned  your  head — 
which  most  any  man  could  do !  " 

For  answer,  her  aunt  stepped  lightly  across  the  carpet 
and  put  both  her  arms  around  the  impetuous  young  girl. 

"I  have  been  so  fortunate,  Lyle,"  she  broke  out;  "I 
have  some  one  to  look  after  me  during  all  the  years  to 
come,  I  hope.  Nothing  could  have  worked  more  to  my 
satisfaction.  Rejoice  with  me,  my  dear  niece,  when  I 
tell  you  that  General  Ormsby  and  I  are  married !  " 

"  Married  ?  Do  you  pretend  to  tell  me  that  that  par- 
ticular old  General  Ormsby,  whom  I  tried  my  best  to 
win,  would  marry  yoii — a  woman  as  old  as  the  hills  ?  Im- 
possible! I  would  not  believe  it,  unless  I  saw  such  a 
transaction  with  my  own  eyes." 

"  There  was  no  one  present  except  the  minister ;  but 
you  can  easily  find  out  the  truth  if  you  doubt  me,  Ly1e. 
You  can  go  with  me  and  see  the  general,  and  learn  from 
his  own  lips  that  a  marriage  ceremony  has  actually  taken 
place  between  us.     I  did  not  tell  him  of  the  relationship 


153  CORA,   THE   l'£T   OF   THE   REGIMENT. 

that  exists  between  you  and  me,  but  did  everything  in  my 
power  to  induce  him  to  make  you  his  bride ;  but  all  to  no 
purpose." 

"  You  have  done  the  greatest  wrong  that  cx)uld  have 
been  done  a  young  girl  in  this  wide  world !  "  Lyle  cried 
out.  "  You  have  ruined  my  prospects  and  cast  me  adrift 
because  I  trusted  you  and  had  no  one  else  to  advise  me. 
You  have  led  me  to  believe  all  along  that  I  ought  to  marry 
General  Ormsby  for  his  money;  that  I  should  not  set 
my  mind  on  any  other  marriageable  young  man,  and  that 
if  I  did  not  carry  out  these  plans,  work  and  a  future  life 
of  toil  would  be  my  portion.  I  listened  to  you,  foolish 
girl  that  I  was,  only  to  be  cruelly  duped  just  when  I  most 
needed  a  home  and  means  of  subsistence.  I  have  wasted 
a  year  and  over  of  my  precious  life  just  when  I  might 
have  found  some  one  better  suited  to  my  liking,  thinking 
it  was  right  to  obey  you  and  abide  by  the  choice  you  had 
made  for  me." 

Her  aunt  tried  to  reason  with  her,  clinging  to  the  girl 
and  whispering  to  her  over  and  over  again  that  she  would 
plan  for  her,  save  every  dollar  that  came  to  her,  dress 
her  in  silks  and  diamonds,  secure  for  her  the  handsom- 
est, richest  husband  that  was  to  be  found;  but  Lyle  an- 
swered her  never  a  word,  but  stood  looking  at  her  with 
blazing  eyes. 


CORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT.    .  163 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

But  to  return,  dear  reader,  to  Arthur  and  Cora,  whom 
we  left  in  the  boat. 

Arthur  Rollins  dared  not  think  of  the  fate  that  was 
inevitable.  The  little  skiff  that  Cora  was  trying  with 
might  and  main  to  manage  was  heading  rapidly  in  the 
very  direction  that  led  to  the  Indian  village. 

A  little  further  and  they  would  be  directly  in  view  of 
the  terrible  blood-thirsty  Sioux,  and  both  Cora  and  him- 
self were  by  far  too  exhausted  to  pull  the  skiff  out  of 
the  dangerous  waters  into  which  they  were  fast  whirling. 

"  My  God !  what  are  we  to  do  ?  "  both  cried  simul- 
taneously, looking  into  the  blanched  faces  of  each  other. 

Cora's  tired,  blistered  little  hands  seemed  to  give  out 
at  last,  and  to  refuse  utterly  to  pull  another  stroke. 

The  strong  current,  which  had  become  swifter  and  more 
tremendous  in  force,  seemed  to  fairly  whirl  the  little 
skiff,  with  its  helpless,  half -fainting  occupants,  along  its 
treacherous  channel — on,  on,  nearing  the  very  shores  of 
their  merciless  foes. 

Arthur  raised  himself  up,  forgetful  of  his  awful  pain 
in  the  face  of  the  danger  that  threatened  them,  and  looked 
at  the  mad,  wild  waters ;  then  seizing  the  oars,  with  a 
superhuman  effort  he  gave  a  few  mighty,  dexterous 
strokes.  Another  moment,  and  he  had  checked  the 
boat's  progress,  and  had  averted  the  imminent  danger. 

"  Heaven  be  praised,  we  are  saved ! "  breathed  Cora. 
"  God  intended  us  to  be  beyond  their  reach." 

Arthur's  head  was  bent  low  on  his  breast;  no  sound 
came  from  his  lips.  Cora  peered  eagerly  into  his  pale 
face. 


154  CORA^  THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT. 

Great  Father!  he  was  fast  swooning  away;  the  exer- 
tion had  proved  too  much  for  him.  Would  they  reach 
the  shore  in  safety  before  one  or  both  of  them  should 
perish?  was  her  agonizing  thought. 

She  realized  that  Arthur's  senses  were  fast  leaving 
him,  that  the  superhuman  effort  he  had  put  forth  to  stop 
the  little  skiff  had  proved  too  much  for  him. 

Once  again  she  summoned  her  remaining  strength, 
reached  for  the  oars,  and  pulled  heroically  along  the  new- 
found waters  that  meant  freedom  for  Arthur  and  her. 

She  had  no  one  to  tell  her  if  she  was  pursuing  the 
right  course.  Every  moment  seemed  an  age  to  her  as 
she  plied  the  oars,  the  little  boat  rocking  and  tossing 
in  its  struggles  with  the  relentless  white  breakers  that 
seemed  luring  it  on  to  destruction. 

Off  in  the  distance  Cora  thought  she  detected  a  line  of 
trees.  She  strained  her  eyes,  and  putting  forth  every 
effort,  propelled  the  skiff  toward  the  far-off  shore. 

She  felt  that  she  was  growing  weaker ;  a  sudden  f aint- 
ness  seemed  stealing  over  her.  She  reeled  in  her  seat, 
and  loosened  her  grasp  upon  the  oars  she  had  been  ply- 
ing; then  a  merciful  unconsciousness  stole  over  her 
senses,  and  she  knew  no  more. 


The  night  wore  away  and  morning  dawned,  and  Cora 
opened  her  eyes  in  a  wild,  picturesque  little  cabin. 

As  she  looked  around  her  in  bewilderment,  she  heard 
a  quick  step  by  her  side. 

It  was  Minnewaska,  who  was  bending  over  her. 

"  Oh,  where  am  I  ?  "  she  moaned.  "  Have  they  cap- 
tured me  and  brought  me  back  among  the  Indians  ?  " 


CORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT.  155 

"  Do  not  excite  yourself,  my  lily,"  whispered  the  dusky 
maid.  "  You  are  safe  here,  and  far  beyond  the  reach  of 
those  you  have  made  your  escape  from." 

"  Did  any  of  the  Indians  overtake  us  ? "  she  asked. 
"  Where  is  my  lo — Arthur — where  have  they  taken  him 
to?" 

"  Calm  yourself,  no  ill  has  happened  to  him.  He  was 
almost  lifeless,  while  you  had  swooned  away  by  his  side. 
I  had  a  great  fear  after  you  two  had  left  me  that  you 
might  not  find  your  way  out  of  our  grounds  without  be- 
ing captured  again.  Jed,  the  young  brave  who  carried  me 
off  on  his  shoulder  when  they  had  the  fire-light  dance,  is 
always  ready  to  serve  me. 

"  '  Take  me  over  to  the  darkest  side  of  the  wooded 
range ;  there  the  lily- faced  captive  and  her  lover  are  wait- 
ing to  make  their  way  out  of  our  lands  to  their  own  far- 
off  home,  and  to  the  poor,  old  father  who  awaits  them,' 
I  asked  him. 

"  We  followed  you,  unknown  to  my  people,  through 
the  woodlands  and  down  to  the  river-bank,  then  we 
started  homeward. 

"  Before  I  had  gone  half  the  distance,  something  told 
me  to  go  back  and  watch  over  you,  that  there  was  danger 
ahead.  Jed  and  I  followed  by  the  swift  waters,  and  after 
pushing  down  stream  and  reconnoitering  in  different 
directions,  I  saw  your  little  skiff,  and  I  knew  by  the  way 
it  was  heading  against  the  stream  that  you  were  ex- 
hausted, and  would  soon  become  powerless  to  guide  your 
bark  in  the  right  channel. 

"  I  kept  right  on,  heading  in  the  same  course,  and 
finally  you  must  have  lost  consciousness  entirely,  for  I 
saluted  you  and  no  one  answered  my  call. 

"  Ted  did  not  waste  a  moment  in  trying  to  bring  either 


156  CORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT. 

you  or  him  to,  but  jumped  into  the  boat  and  rowed  with 
might  and  main  to  a  place  of  safety  once  owned  by  a 
friendly  fisherman.  I  followed  with  my  own  skiff,  came 
here,  tended  to  him,  bound  up  his  wounds,  and  you  are 
both  on  the  safe  road  to  recovery." 

"  Oh,  how  good  you  are  to  me !  "  murmured  Cora,  tears 
coming  to  her  eyes.  "  My  father  will  reward  you  hand- 
somely if  you  ever  come  to  our  fort ;  but  do  tell  me,  when 
are  we  to  start  for  home?  Is  Arthur  able  to  go?  Every 
hour  seems  a  year  to  me !  " 

"  When  your  lover  has  recovered  from  his  wound,  then 
you  can  both  return  in  safety,"  Minnewaska  answered 
her.  "  Jed  is  taking  care  of  him — he  is  the  son  of  our 
medicine  man — and  he  is  getting  better  rapidly.  To- 
morrow, at  the  noon  hour,  Jed  will  have  a  swift  pony  of 
his  own,  with  soft  skins  for  the  young  man  to  sit  on,  if 
he  is  able  to  go,  and  my  pony  will  be  all  ready  for  you 
to  go  with  him,  so  you  see  we  have  it  all  arranged." 

"  I  am  so  glad  you  are  with  me,  Minnewaska,"  said 
Cora,  gratefully.  "  I  am  willing  to  do  everything  you 
may  think  best,  and  I  know  Arthur  can  never  forget  your 
kindness  to  us  both.  We  will  take  the  trip  home  to- 
morrow, if  he  is  able,  and  my  father  will  handsomely  re- 
ward your  heroism.  He  can  not  do  enough  for  you  if  the 
time  ever  comes  when  it  is  in  his  power." 

Minnewaska  smiled,  looked  away  dreamily,  then  hur- 
ried out  of  the  room. 

"  I  have  brought  you  something  to  eat,"  she  said,  enter- 
ing the  room  a  little  later.  "  Jed  tells  me  that  the  young 
man  is  fast  regaining  his  strength,  and  if  you  are  ready 
to  go  to-morrow,  you  can  both  start  on  your  journey." 

"  How  very  kind  of  you,  my  good  girl,"  murmured 


CORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT.  157 

Cora  over  and  over  again ;  "  it  seems  to  me  that  day- 
light will  never  come." 

Cora  ate  heartily  of  the  appetizing  food  which  had  been 
prepared  for  her  by  Minnewaska. 

At  last  came  the  dawn  of  that  eventful  day.  Jed,  who 
had  gone  off  long  before  any  one  was  astir,  returned  just 
as  the  dawn  was  breaking,  bringing  two  fleet,  sturdy 
ponies,  with  plenty  of  deer-skins  to  make  the  ride  com- 
fortable as  could  be  expected. 

"  Get  into  the  saddle,  lady  fair,"  said  the  Indian  girl 
a  few  minutes  later,  "  and  I  will  help  the  young  gentle- 
man to  mount — he  is  still  weak,  but  seems  very  cour- 
ageous." 

Cora  lost  no  time  in  complying  with  this  order,  and  in 
a  moment  Arthur  appeared,  looking  quite  like  his  old 
self  again,  except  for  the  pallor  of  his  face,  that  still 
showed  suffering. 

They  took  a  kindly  leave  of  the  dark-eyed  girl  who 
had  proved  so  valuable  a  friend  to  them  both,  and  fol- 
lowing Minnewaska's  directions,  they  put  spurs  to  their 
horses  and  soon  left  the  friendly  woods  and  roof  that 
had  sheltered  them  far  behind. 

On,  on,  they  rode  toward  the  sloping  hills  and  stretch- 
ing valleys,  their  dark  figures  clearly  outlined,  with  not 
a  tree  or  a  bush  to  break  the  monotony. 

They  had  traveled  miles  since  they  had  set  out,  not 
stopping  for  rest  until  their  horses  began  to  show  un- 
mistakable signs  of  being  tired. 

A  new  calamity  seemed  to  threaten  them.  The  animals 
would  soon  give  out.  They  had  several  miles  further 
to  go  in  a  circuitous  route,  as  there  were  one  or  two 
Indian  villages  between  them  and  their  destination. 

If  by  chance  any  Indians  should  meet  them,  neither 


158  CORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT. 

of  them  had  taken  the  precaution  to  provide  themselves 
with  arms  or  ammunition. 

There  was  a  possibiHty  of  their  being  obliged  to  turn 
the  animals  adrift  if  they  did  not  find  a  place  of  rest  and 
concealment  soon. 

The  situation  was  becoming  more  alarming,  when 
[Arthur's  horse  suddenly  wheeled  about  in  a  mad,  unre- 
strained fashion,  and  darted  wildly  in  the  direction  of 
one  of  the  Indian  camps  they  were  trying  to  avoid. 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

It  was  a  nine-days'  wonder  at  Fort  Hadley  when  the 
news  of  General  Ormsby  and  Miss  Bitterwood's  mar- 
riage was  circulated.  The  ladies  of  the  garrison  could 
think  of,  talk  of  nothing  else ;  and  yet  they  all  agreed  that 
it  was  better  for  both  of  them  to  marry,  now  that  Cora 
was  lost,  or  perhaps  dead,  to  the  idolizing  father. 

Early  that  same  evening  the  ladies  and  their  escorts 
reached  the  general's  house  in  goodly  numbers,  to  extend 
their  congratulations  to  the  newly  wedded  couple. 

When  they  found  themselves  alone,  the  general  said, 
wonderingly : 

"  It  is  a  little  surprising  that  Ly — Miss  Warner  did  not 
conquer  her  chagrin,  and  drop  in  to  pay  us  her  respects 
as  our  other  friends  have  done  to-night." 

He  saw  the  color  die  out  of  her  cheeks  at  the  mention 
of  Lyle's  name,  while  the  hand  that  lay  lightly  on  his  arm 
trembled. 


CORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT.  159 

"  She  will  come  later,"  she  answered,  confusedly.  "  I 
overheard  one  of  the  ladies  that  was  here  to-night  say  as 
much." 

Before  he  could  make  a  reply,  a  messenger  came  for 
the  old  commander,  saying  that  his  friend.  Lawyer  Ridge- 
wood,  was  just  starting  for  the  East,  and  would  like  a 
personal  interview  for  a  few  moments. 

"  He  is  just  the  man  I  want  to  see.  Tell  Lawyer 
Ridgewood  I  will  be  with  him  directly,"  was  his  answer. 
"  Sit  down  and  make  yourself  comfortable,  my  dear. 
I  will  be  back  in  a  short  time,"  were  his  partmg  words 
as  he  took  leave  of  his  wife,  and  went  in  search  of  his 
friend. 

His  few  minutes  lapsed  into  one,  then  two  hours  ere 
he  returned. 

When  she  found  herself  alone,  Mrs.  Ormsby  began  to 
nod ;  a  half  hour  later  and  she  was  fast  asleep  in  her 
chair. 

"  I  will  not  waken  her,"  he  thought ;  "  she  needs  rest." 

He  went  to  an  adjoining  room,  threw  himself  down 
on  a  sofa,  and  fell  into  a  deep  and  troubled  sleep. 

The  next  morning,  when  they  went  in  to  awaken  him, 
they  found  him  cold  and  lifeless.  A  doctor  was  hastily 
summoned,  who  pronounced  death  from  heart  failure. 

Once  more  the  community  of  Fort  Hadley  was  shocked 
at  the  tragic  event  that  had  followed  on  the  heels  of 
General  Ormsby 's  marriage,  and  once  again  they  assem- 
bled and  laid  him  at  rest. 

In  the  intense  excitement  that  prevailed,  Mrs.  Ormsby 
talked  only  of  her  own  situation,  and  calmly  waited  for 
the  will  to  be  read.  He  had  had  his  friend,  Lawyer 
Ridgewood,  make  a  new  will  the  night  preceding  his 


160  CORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT. 

death,  in  which  he  left  all  his  earthly  possessions  to  his 
wife,  Mrs.  Ormsby. 

Three  days  later,  the  general's  widow  made  active  prep- 
arations to  depart  for  the  East.  Lyle,  who  had  watched 
General  Ormsby's  proceedings  with  bitter  rage  in  her 
heart,  thought  it  would  be  better  to  fall  in  with  her  aunt's 
ideas,  as  she  was  now  a  widow  of  great  wealth. 

It  was  quite  late  the  following  morning  when  Lyle  ate 
her  breakfast.  She  had  scarcely  sat  down  ere  shouts  and 
cheers  fell  upon  her  ears.  She  started  to  her  feet  and 
joined  the  excited  group  of  men  who  were  making  to- 
ward the  entrance  of  the  fort,  where  the  commotion 
seemed  to  come  from. 

"  It  can't  be  true !  "  exclaimed  Major  Raymond's  wife, 
rushing  past  the  crowd  in  the  direction  of  the  gate. 

"  Most  likely  it  is  a  strategy  of  the  Sioux,"  said  an- 
other. 

Before  they  had  time  to  conjecture  what  was  amiss,  an 
orderly  came  rushing  past  them  like  a  whirlwind. 

"  Cora  Ormsby,  the  general's  daughter,  has  been  found ! 
She  is  at  the  gates !  "  he  shouted. 

Wild,  hoarse  cries  of  joy  broke  forth  from  every 
throat,  as  they  ran  swiftly  to  the  gates  to  welcome  her. 

Far  down  the  road  they  had  heard  the  ring  of  hec 
trusty  steed's  hoofs,  then  a  cloud  of  dust  floated  away, 
and  the  bright  morning  beams  poured  down  in  radiance 
upon  a  form  and  face  they  knew  full  well — jt  was  Cora 
Ormsby,  whom  they  had  given  up  for  dead. 

Wild  shouts  and  screams  of  rejoicing  filled  the  air; 
loving  hands  were  uplifted  to  her,  and  they  carried  the 
girl,  half  delirious  with  joy  and  anxiet  ,  safely  in  their 
arms,  and  stopped  when  they  reached  the  nearest  officer's 
house. 


CORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE  REGIMENT.  161 

Before  she  had  scarcely  regained  her  breath,  she  told 
them  of  how  Arthur  Rollins  had  saved  her,  that  they  had 
made  their  escape  together,  and  although  he  was  suffer- 
ing from  a  severe  wound  in  his  shoulder,  he  had  brought 
her  to  within  a  few  yards  of  the  fort,  returning  a  short 
distance  to  turn  the  horses  homeward,  having  promised 
Minnewaska  to  do  so. 

The  women  smothered  hapless  Cora  with  kisses,  while 
the  men  turned  away  to  conceal  the  sorrow  that  they 
knew  would  follow  when  she  learned  how  her  home  was 
broken  up. 

"  My  father,  please  tell  him  I  am  here  I  Quick !  I 
can  hardly  wait  to  see  him !  "  and  she  fairly  sprung  from 
her  seat  in  the  direction  of  the  door. 

"  We  were  married  a  few  days  ago,"  said  Mrs. 
Ormsby,  stepping  up  to  her,  "  and  he  died  soon  after. 
All  that  he  had  he  left  to  me.  You  may  come  to  my 
home  later,  if  you  wish,"  this  in  a  cold,  indifferent  tone 
that  struck  a  chill  to  the  girl's  aching  heart. 

Cora  shrunk  from  her  and  hid  her  face  in  her  hands. 
There  had  been  no  sudden  cry  of  surprise,  no  hysterical 
outburst  of  violent  weeping.  The  girl  was  like  one  dazed 
with  the  shadow  of  her  heavy  trials  hovering  over  her. 

There  was  a  momentary  hush  among  those  who  had 
gathered  around  the  grief -stricken  girl.  When  her  sor- 
row had  subsided  in  a  measure,  they  bore  her  to  the 
little  sitting-room,  where  Julia  Gordon  awaited  her. 

A  mutual  attachment  had  sprung  up  between  the  two 
girls  from  that  moment,  and  Cora  found  in  her  new 
friend  a  worthy  champion  for  the  trials  that  were  to 
darken  her  near  future. 

Mrs.  Ormsby  lost  no  time  in  consoling  the  girl,  but  she 
fairly  flew  back  to  her  house.    She  had  left  Lyle  among 


162  CORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT. 

the  eager  crowd  of  women  who  were  discussing  the 
strange  events  that  had  just  happened.  She  had  barely 
had  time  to  enter  the  Httle  parlor  when  an  imperative 
knock  resounded  at  the  door. 

"Of  course  the  women  sympathize  with  the  girl,  and 
they  have  brought  her  back  to  her  father's  home,"  she 
thought ;  "  but  I  will  show  them  that  /  am  running  this 
place !  " 

So  saying,  she  opened  wide  the  door,  and  to  her  sur 
prise  Captain  Lindsay  entered. 

"  I  came  to  have  a  talk  with  you,  Mrs.  Ormsby,"  he 
said.  "  I  have  waited  until  you  were  more  settled  in  mind 
and  perhaps  reconciled  to  your  loss." 

"  You  are  indeed  very  good  to  remember  me  at  such 
a  time,"  she  murmured. 

"  Now  that  Cora,  the  general's  daughter,  is  found," 
he  began,  unceremoniously,  "  you  will  of  course  share 
your  roof  with  her,  as  well  as  return  to  her  her  rightful 
inheritance.  It  is  quite  lucky  that  you  will  have  her  as  a 
companion,  that  you  will  not  be  left  entirely  alone." 

"  Do  not  distress  yourself  about  my  not  being  able  to 
settle  my  affairs,"  she  said,  scornfully.  "  Ly — Miss  War- 
ner, I  have  asked  to  live  with  me  as  my  companion,  and 
one  girl  is  plenty  to  share  my  roof." 

"  That  depends  who  the  young  girl  is,"  replied  Lind- 
say, undaunted.  "  Don't  you  think  you  take  enough  in- 
terest in  Miss  Warner  to  be  a  near  relative  of  hers  ?  " 

Mrs.  Ormsby  started. 

"  She  is  as  near  to  me  as  if  she  were  a  relative." 

"  Come,  now,  my  good  lady,  you  might  as  well  be 
candid  with  me  on  this  subject:  is  not  Miss  Warner  your 
daughter  ?  " 


CORA^  THE   PET  OF  THE  REGIMENT.  163 

"  Who  told  you  so  ?  "  she  gasped ;  then,  assuming  an 
air  of  independence,  and  mentally  concluding  that  the 
captain  might  make  Lyle  a  good  husband,  she  answered 
confidentially :  "  How  funny  it  is  that  you  should  take 
such  an  interest  in  Miss  Warner  as  to  think  that." 

"  I  should  really  think  you  would  be  proud  to  own 
her,"  he  replied,  gallantly. 

"  So  I  am,"  she  responded.  "  Yes,  I  will  admit  to  you 
what  I  have  never  told  mortal  before — she  is  my  daugh- 
ter. Her  father  left  me  a  year  after  I  married  him,  and 
I  was  too  proud  to  tell  my  friends  this,  so  I  concealed  her 
identity.  Thank  you  for  thinking  so  highly  of — of  my 
daughter." 

Captain  Lindsay  turned  his  head  away;  his  thoughts 
were  only  of  Cora  Ormsby. 


CHAPTER  XXXVHI. 

"  Captam  Lindsay,  I  have  told  you  all/'  she  said ;  "  and 
may  I  hope  in  return  that  you  will  evince  a  deeper 
friendship  for  my  poor,  dear  daughter  than  you  did  before 
you  knew  my  sad  story,  which  I  pray  you  will  never  reveal 
to  any  one." 

The  captain  did  not  answer  her,  as  she  had  expected 
he  would  do,  and  her  keen  eyes  could  not  help  noticing" 
the  scornful  smile  that  played  around  his  mustached  lips 
when  she  had  asked  for  his  friendship  for  her  daughter. 

"  You  have  indeed  been  candid  with  me,"  he  replied. 


164  CX)RA,  THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT. 

"  and  there  may  just  as  well  be  a  mutual  understandiw; 
between  both  of  us  here  and  now." 

Mrs.  Ormsby's  eyes  lighted  up  with  new  interest.  She 
bowed,  and  looked  at  him  a  little  impatiently  as  he  went 
on: 

"  Do  not  misjudge  me,  my  dear  madame,  by  thinking 
I  have  a  deep  friendship  for  your  daughter,  or  that  I 
could  ever  eare  for  her  more  than  to  entertain  that  sense 
of  respect  and  esteem  which  all  women  are  entitled  to. 
But  there  is  one  who  is  fair  to  me,"  he  said,  "  whom  I  love 
with  all  my  strength.  I  would  lay  down  my  life  for  her, 
and  serve  her  in  a  moment  of  danger  at  any  cost  in  my 
power.  You  know  very  well  who  the  girl  is. that  holds 
my  heart  and  soul.  There  is  something  on  your  part 
that  could  be  done  to  help  me,  that  would  be  of  mutual 
advantage,  believe  me,  to  both  of  us." 

"  Will  you  speak  a  little  plainer,  Captain  Lindsay  ?  " 
she  said.  "  I  do  not  quite  understand  you.  I  will  be  a 
friend  to  you  if  I  can  do  you  any  good." 

"  Madame,  you  are  indeed  kind,"  he  replied,  the  words 
falling  slowly  from  his  lips. 

Despite  his  habitual  self-command,  his  pale  cheeks 
flushed  each  instant,  and  the  light  that  sprung  into  his 
eyes  revealed  his  thoughts  clearer  than  he  could  have  ex- 
pressed them. 

There  was  a  moment's  pause,  and  Mrs.  Ormsby  said, 
anxiously : 

"  I  hope  that  you  have  not  lost  your  heart,  captain,  to 
some  spoiled  and  petted  girl,  who  laughs  at  a  man's 
affection  when  she  has  an  army  of  rivals  at  her  beck  and 
call." 

"  Certainly  not,"  said  the  captain,  warmly  espousing 
the  cause  of  the  girl  he  loved,  believing  he  had  a  thor- 


CORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT.  165 

ough  knowledge  of  the  world — enough  to  know  that  she 
was  innocent  of  such  wiles  as  the  lady  had  pictured. 
"  Now,  I  have  a  surprise  for  you — a  pleasant  one,  I  hope ; 
and,  do  you  know,  I  have  the  greatest  faith  that  you  will 
help  me  win  this  fair  girl  as  my  wife  if  it  is  possible  for 
you  to  do  so." 

Mrs.  Ormsby  glanced  at  him  covertly. 

"  I  don't  mind  telling  you  that  the  young  girl  who  is 
all  the  world  to  me  is  Miss  Cora  Ormsby,"  he  said, 
proudly. 

"  You  must  not,  you  can  not  mean  it ! "  gasped  Mrs. 
Ormsby,  realizing  in  a  second  what  the  situation  meant 
to  her.  "  Take  care,  and  do  not  let  your  heart  go  out  to 
her ;  it  would  be  dangerous  for  your  future  happiness,  as 
time  will  tell.  You  haven't  the  least  idea  what  a  time 
her  poor  old  father  had  in  trying  to  control  her.  She's  a 
clever  miss,  full  of  ruses,  willful,  and  she  would  become  a 
terror  for  you  instead  of  a  blessing,  as  many  another  girl 
you  might  have  chosen  would  prove." 

"  You  shall  not  speak  of  little  Cora  in  that  way,  not  in 
my  presence !  "  responded  Captain  Lindsay,  with  asperity. 
"  Come  what  may,  refuse  me,  as  perhaps  she  will,  I  shall 
not  hear  her  maligned  by  man,  woman,  or  child  without 
resenting  it  to  the  bitter  end.  You  have  proved  yourself 
woman  in  name  only.  In  the  first  place,  you  have  shown 
that  you  are  devoid  of  pity  toward  this  desolate  young 
orphan.  You  have  wronged  her  because  you  believed 
you  had  the  power  to  do  so,  knowing  that  General 
Ormsby  would  never  have  cut  his  only  child  off  penniless 
had  he  but  known  she  were  living." 

Mrs.  Ormsby  trembled  from  head  to  foot,  her  eyes 
grew  restless  and  troubled,  yet  she  dared  not  speak  lest 
she  should  arouse  his  ire  still  further. 


166  CORA,   THE   PET   OF  THE   REGIMENT. 

"  Have  you  asked  her  to  come  and  share  the  home  her 
father  left  ?  "  he  demanded. 

"  Yes ;  I  told  her  she  might  come  here  if  she  pleased  to, 
but  she  seemed  inclined  to  refuse  my  offer.  What  more 
could  I  do  than  that  ?  " 

"  I  desire  you  to  go  at  once  and  make  friends  with 
Cora,  and  do  everything  in  your  power  to  help  my  suit 
along,  and  you  will  lose  nothing  by  it." 

"  But  suppose  I  refuse  or  fail,  what  then  ?  " 

"  That  would  be  the  worst  thing  you  could  possibly 
do,  for  your  oivn  welfare.  I  would  prove  a  dangerous 
man  if  I  were  foiled  in  my  purpose,  especially  where  my 
heart,  my  life  itself,  as  you  may  say,  is  involved.  It 
would  mean  ruin  for  you — a  fitting  revenge  for  the  fail- 
ure, I  assure  you,  madam." 

"  Stay !  "  she  called,  as  the  captain  was  about  to  turn 
from  her.  "  It  will  almost  break  my  heart  to  consent  to 
— to  what  you  ask;  but  it  is  the  wisest  course.  Let  us 
come  to  an  understanding  about — about  what  settlement 
you  will  want  for  her.  You  promised  to  let  me  keep  what 
the  general  bequeathed  to  me,  if  I  would  use  my  influence 
and  do  all  in  my  power  to  bring  you  and  Cora  together  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  he  said,  quickly.  "  Remember  that  I  am  in 
love  with  the  girl  for  her  own  sake.  She  would  be  just 
as  dear  to  me  if  she  hadn't  a  dollar  in  this  wide  world. 
I  have  plenty  for  both  of  us,  and  I  can  afford  to  be  very 
magnanimous  to  you  if  you  will  do  everything  in  your 
power  to  help  me  win  the  girl — place  no  obstacles  in  the 
way.  If  Cora  will  consent  to  marry  me,  I  promise  you, 
here  and  now,  that  she  shall  never  touch  one  penny  of  the 
money  you  speak  of,  with  my  knowledge,  and  I  know  I  am 
quite  able  to  influence  my  friends,  let  alone  a  wife,  if  I 
had  one." 


CORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT.  167 

"  Will  you  keep  that  promise — not  to  have  her  touch 
a  dollar  of  what  I  have  left  me,  if — if  I  help  you  win 
her?" 

The  woman's  quick,  sharp  glance  seemed  to  penetrate 
his  very  soul,  as  if  her  life  depended  upon  his  answer. 

"  Yes,"  he  repeated,  solemnly.  "  I  will  take  a  solemn 
oath  to  that  effect." 

"  I  have  something  else  to  ask,"  she  said,  excitedly. 
"  Will  you  also  promise  me,  Captain  Lindsay,  never  to 
reveal  to  Lyle,  or  any  other  living  person,  that  she  is 
my  daughter?  She  is  so  headstrong  and  impetuous  that 
the  revelation  might  terminate  rashly  with  her.  She  must 
never  know  it !    Will  you  promise  me  this  ?  " 

Again  Captain  Lindsay  bound  himself  by  another  sol- 
emn oath  to  comply  with  her  request,  and  thus  the  seeds 
of  one  of  the  bitterest  tragedies  were  irrevocably  sown. 


CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

It  was  four  o'clock — the  clock  on  the  mantel  had  just 
struck  the  hour — when  the  tall  form  of  Captain  Lindsay 
emerged  from  the  Ormsby  quarters. 

"  As,  how  happy  I  will  be  when  I  win  Cora  for  my 
bride !  "  he  murmured.  "  I  don't  care  what  strategy  shall 
be  used;  but,  as  I  live,  there  was  something  forbidding 
about  madam  when,  strangely  enough,  she  consented  to 
aid  me.  I  suppose  I  am  overfearful.  If  I  could  only 
pierce  the  veil  that  hides  the  future,  I  would  not  feel  so 
oppressed." 


168  CORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT. 

He  turned  back  again  to  the  door,  where  Mrs.  Ormsby 
still  stood  looking  in  an  opposite  direction.  He  reached 
out  his  hand  at  parting,  and  said: 

"  I  shall  come  in  and  see  what  success  you  have  met 
with  to-morrow  at  this  time.  You  must  not  lose  a  mo- 
ment in  trying.  I  must  see  you  again  soon,  and  you  must 
be  able  to  tell  me  something  in  my  favor." 

"  I  will  do  my  best,  captain,"  she  said,  her  eyes  glow- 
ing with  a  strange  light  in  them,  her  voice  trembling  with 
suppressed  emotion. 

Mrs.  Ormsby  locked  the  door  of  her  room,  and  sat 
down  to  think  over  the  strange  chain  of  fate  that  was 
fast  closing  about  her. 

"  It  will  not  do ! "  she  said,  setting  her  teeth  hard  to- 
gether. "  He  might  mean  what  he  said  to-day,  and 
change  his  mind  to-morrow.  H  the  general's  daughter 
once  became  his  bride,  it  would  prove  a  stab  for  me — 
loss  of  fortune ;  and  Lyle — her  pride  would  be  brought 
low  into  the  dust" 

Mrs.  Ormsby  watched  the  sun  set  over  the  sloping  hills, 
then,  hastily  donning  a  long  black  mantle,  a  heavy  veil 
concealing  her  face,  she  hurried  quickly  in  the  direction 
of  a  counselor's  office.  Half  an  hour  later  she  left  it, 
and  returned  home  with  blanched  face  and  eyes  swim- 
ming in  tears. 

"  I  have  provided  handsomely  for  my  poor  darling," 
she  murmured.  "  The  world  may  say  that  it  is  a  foolish 
thing  to  die  that  we  may  leave  all  to  others,  but  I  say  it 
is  better  so.  Now  we  shall  see  who  will  get  the  Ormsby 
million.  If  they  attempt  to  break  the  will  that's  just  been 
made,  my  Lyle  will  fascinate  judge  and  jurors — ^yes,  she 
will  win!    I  will  die  easy,  even  if  it  is  by  my  own  hand. 


CORA,  THE  PET  OF  THE  REGIMENT.  169 

knowing  that  I  have  made  her  happy  and  independent  for 
life." 

She  sat  down  and  wrote  page  after  page — the  last  she 
was  ever  to  pen  to  Lyle,  who  had  never  given  so  much 
as  one  loving  thought  to  her  since  her  birth — directing  her 
minutely,  as  only  one  skilled  in  legal  lore  could  have  done, 
praising  her  beauty,  and  urging  her  on  to  happiness  and 
to  her  rights.  Then  she  sealed  the  letter,  and  directing 
it  to  the  girl,  placed  it  on  the  table  where  it  would  be 
easily  found. 

She  looked  wistfully  at  the  sealed  envelope,  thinking 
of  the  great  power  it  would  give  her,  and  how  different 
her  own  life  had  been. 

Then  she  poured  the  contents  of  a  small  vial  into  a 
glass  and  drained  its  contents. 

Slowly  the  white  lids  drooped  over  the  heavy,  sunken 
eyes,  the  pale  lips  twitched  in  mortal  pain,  and  Mrs. 
Ormsby  slept  the  sleep  of  death. 

In  the  tasty  little  room  which  Julia  Gorgon  had  fitted 
up  for  her  girl  friend,  Cora  Ormsby  sat  gazing  wistfully 
out  of  the  window  two  days  after  the  tragedy. 

The  little  figure  was  peering  anxiously  up  and  down 
the  road,  scanning  each  passer-by  with  an  intensity  that 
was  pitiful  to  behold. 

"  Oh,  why  does  he  not  come?  "  she  cried,  aloud.  "  My 
heart  is  surely  breaking  with  the  terrible  suspense.  What 
can  it  be  that  is  detaining  Arthur  so  long?  They  have 
captured  him  and  taken  him  back.  Perhaps  they  have 
killed  him !  " 

"  Oh,  no,  no !  Please  do  not  excite  yourself  so,"  an- 
swered Julia,  throwing  her  arms  soothingly  about  the  lit- 
tle figure.    "  Your  lover  will  come  back  to  you  safe  and 


170  CORA^  THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT. 

sound.  He  may  have  lost  his  way — stopped  somewhere 
to  recover  from  his  wound,  and  some  fine  day  soon  he  will 
be  walking  in  upon  your  retreat,  handsome,  noble,  and 
as  loving  as  ever," 

Just  at  that  moment  a  prancing  pony  with  a  tall,  fear- 
less rider  in  the  saddle  dashed  rapidly  up  the  road  and 
stopped  at  the  cottage  where  Miss  Gordon  lived. 

He  dismounted  and  rapped  sharply  at  the  door. 

Remembering  that  her  companion  had  gone  out,  Cora 
answered  the  summons  herself. 

"  It  may  be  news  from  Arthur,"  she  thought,  her  heart 
beating  wildly. 

She  drew  back  with  a  startled  cry  as  her  eyes  sud- 
denly met  those  of  Captain  Lindsay.  He  saw  that  she 
had  no  welcome  for  him ;  yet,  nothing  daunted,  he 
stretched  out  his  hand  and  clasped  her  own  trembling 
one. 

"  Cora,"  he  cried,  "  why  do  you  look  so  frightened  ? 
Are  you  displeased  to  see  me  ?  " 

"  No,"  she  answered.    "  I  did  not  know  who  it  was." 

The  look  of  disappointment  deepened  in  her  blue  eyes 
as  she  re-entered  the  little  parlor,  and  he  followed  her  in 
silence,  with  flushed  face  and  flashing  eyes. 

"  Cora,"  he  said,  seating  himself  opposite  her.  "  I  am 
so  sorry  for  you  and  all  that  has  happened  of  late.  I 
said  to  myself,  '  She  has  lost  all  that  was  near  and  dear 
to  her ;  but  she  still  has  one  friend  who  would  lay  down 
his  life  for  her,  though  perhaps  she  does  not  know  it.' " 

He  stopped  short,  seeing  that  Cora  did  not  understand 
him,  and  gazed  into  those  dreamy,  wistful  eyes  that  af- 
fected him  so  strangely. 

His  face  flushed  and  paled.    It  seemed  to  him  that  Cora 


CORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT.  171 

must  certainly  read  in  every  feature  that  he  was  in  love 
— yes,  madly  in  love  with  her. 

"  Please  don't  feel  so  about  my  misfortunes,"  she  said, 
looking  at  him  in  alarm.  "  I  am  trying  to  live  them  down, 
but  I  don't  want  any  one  to  lay  down  a  life  for  me;  it 
would  not  be  right." 

"  Yes,  it  would,"  he  answered ;  "  for  your  sake  a  man 
might  give  up  all  that  he  holds  dear,  if  you  would  only 
give  him  one  little  word  of  recognition,  or  say  that  you 
would  learn  to  think  of  him  some  future  day." 

"  I  could  not  say  that;  it  would  be  impossible,"  said 
Cora,  frankly.  "I  sincerely  hope  that  no  one  will  ask 
me  to  do  that." 

"  I  will  give  you  one  week  from  to-day  to  think  it  over," 
he  said. 

"  My  answer  is  the  same  now  that  it  would  be  then," 
declared  the  girl.  "  I  can  never  marry  you.  If  Arthur 
Rollins  does  not  come  back,  I  will  be  true  to  his  memory 
— ^go  down  to  the  grave  unwedded." 

This  was  the  answer  he  was  obliged  to  take  away  with 
him.  But  as  he  passed  out  of  the  house,  he  muttered  to 
himself: 

"  Within  a  week's  time  you  will  have  changed  your 
mind,  my  beauty.    I  know  how  to  bring  it  about." 


CHAPTER  XL. 

When  Cora  Ormsby  found  herself  alone  she  went  back 
to  her  room,  flung  herself  into  her  low  rocker  by  the 


173  CORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT. 

window,  too  excited  to  think  calmly  what  course  she 
should  pursue. 

The  hours  that  followed  were  wretched  ones  to  her. 
All  night  long  she  did  not  sleep. 

"  Oh,  God !  send  me  some  tidings  of  Arthur  I  "  she  mur- 
mured, brokenly.  "  What  is  there  left  for  me  now  that 
he  has  gone  ?  " 

Even  at  that  moment  Captain  Lindsay  was  carrying  out 
a  most  diabolical  plot  that  was  to  wreck  two  human 
lives  and  place  poor  little  Cora  at  his  mercy. 

"  I  will  gain  her  consent  to  marry  me  before  another 
week,"  he  repeated,  as  he  left  her  presence  after  that  un- 
satisfactory interview.  "  She  loves  that  miserable 
Arthur  Rollins,  and  I  see  that  there  is  but  one  thing 
left  for  me  to  do  in  order  to  win  my  case,  and  that  is  to 
sow  the  seeds  of  distrust  in  her  heart  toward  him." 

And  he  fell  to  planning  what  was  destined  to  prove  a 
death-blow  to  poor,  trusting  little  Cora  Ormsby. 

He  set  out  early  that  same  evening  to  a  belt  of  woods 
where  a  party  of  hunters  had  camped  out  for  several 
days  past.  They  had  left  strewn  upon  the  ground  large 
patches  of  bark  from  the  trees  that  had  served  to  make 
fires  for  the  campers-out. 

"A  capital  idea!  That's  just  what  I've  been  looking 
for !  "  he  exclaimed,  as  he  carefully  selected  a  broad, 
smooth  piece  of  bark  from  among  the  remnants  strewn 
around.  "  When  I  write  a  fictitious  letter  and  tell  her 
that  another's  love  has  taken  her  place,  and  sign  the  name 
of  Rollins  to  it,  woman-like,  her  love  will  turn  to  hatred 
for  him,  and  I  will  console  her,  and  win  her  for  my 
bride  at  last.    '  It's  an  ill  wind  that  blows  nobody  good.* " 

He  wheeled  around  and  started  homeward,  going  at 
once  to  his  room,  where  he  found  several  old  letters  from 


CORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT.  173 

Rollins,  which  he  cleverly  made  up  his  mind  he  could 
make  use  of  now  in  imitating  the  handwriting. 

It  was  near  midnight  ere  he  finished  the  cruel  letter 
that  was  to  sever  two  fond  hearts  most  effectually. 

The  lines  were  faintly  traced  on  the  smooth  piece  of 
bark,  which  was  the  method  of  communication  used  by 
the  more  intelligent  Sioux,  and  read  as  follows : 

"  Sioux  Camp. 
"  Friend  Cora. — I  think  it  my  duty  to  write  you  that 
there  is  no  longer  the  love  in  my  heart  for  you  that  once 
existed.  I  love  Minnewaska  as  I  never  could  have 
loved  you.  I  trust  you  will  find  some  one  more  worthy 
of  you  than  I  was.  You  are  free  now  to  choose  whom 
you  will.  All  is  over  between  us.  Forgive  and  forget. 
"  Yours  no  longer, 

"Arthur  Rollins." 

Twice  Captain  Lindsay  read  it  over  with  very  scrutiniz- 
ing eyes;  then,  concluding  that  it  was  so  like  Arthur's 
handwriting  that  no  one  on  earth  could  detect  it,  he  care- 
fully folded  it  in  a  bit  of  brown  paper  and  directed  it  to 
Cora. 

"  She  will  never  know  that  Joe,  the  half-breed,  met  me 
the  other  day  and  told  me  of  Minnewaska,  and  of  her 
strange  infatuation  for  young  Rollins,  which,  luckily,  I 
have  been  able  to  turn  to  good  account  in  this  instance. 
I'll  not  trust  this  letter  in  any  other  hands  but  my  own. 
I  will  tell  her  it  was  sent  into  camp  a  moment  before,  and 
believing  that  it  boded  good  tidings,  I  hastened  to  deliver 
it  to  her  myself." 

Cora's  face  was  pressed  close  to  the  window  that  same 
evening,  as  Captain  Lindsay  hurried  up  the  path  that  led 
to  the  Gordon  cottage. 


174  CORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT. 

"  Ah !  the  scouts  have  been  heard  from  at  last ;  here 
is  one  of  the  messengers,"  she  murmured,  as  she  hurried 
quickly  to  the  door,  with  a  wistful,  questioning  expres- 
sion on  her  sweet  young  face. 

"  Why,  it  is  you.  Captain  Lindsay !  Come  in !  "  she 
said,  repeating  the  words  over  and  over  again.  "  You 
have  been  successful  ?    Tell  me,  did  you  find  Arthur  ? " 

"  Yes,  I  have  news  from  him,"  he  faltered,  following 
her  into  the  little  sitting-room  and  taking  a  seat  oppo- 
site her.  "  A  young  warrior  dashed  up  to  the  gates  of 
the  fort  only  a  few  moments  ago  and  left  this  package 
for  General  Ormsby's  daughter,  saying  it  was  from  the 
young  man  who  had  brought  her  to  Fort  Hadley  a  few 
days  ago.  I  took  it  hastily,  and  thinking  it  best  not  to 
trust  it  to  a  messenger,  I  came  with  it  without  an  instant's 
delay." 

"  Oh,  how  very  good  of  you,  Captain  Lindsay !  "  she 
said,  laughing  and  half -sobbing  for  joy  in  the  same 
breath. 

Her  little  fingers  tore  nervously  at  the  outer  covering, 
and  as  she  saw  her  name  in  the  well-known  handwriting, 
she  said,  excitedly: 

"  It's  from  Arthur !  I  knew  he  was  safe.  Heaven 
guarded  him  and  heard  my  prayers !  " 

Hastily  she  scanned  the  bark  with  its  faintly  written 
lines — once,  twice — then  a  wild  cry  broke  from  her  lips. 

She  reeled  forward,  and  would  have  fallen  at  the  feet 
of  the  man  who  had  so  cruelly  blasted  all  her  hopes  had 
not  his  strong  arms  upheld  the  swaying  little  figure. 

"  Oh,  God !  "  she  murmured,  brokenly,  "  deserted,  for- 
saken! I  would  have  sooner  doubted  the  constancy  of 
heaven  itself  to  me!  Read  what  it  says!  "  she  moaned, 
pointing  to  the  bark  that  had  fallen  to  the  floor. 


CORA,   THE   PET   OF  THE  REGIMENT.  175 

He  picked  it  up,  and  with  well- feigned  surprise  in  his 
eyes  read  it  through  in  silence. 

No  tears  came  to  her  relief ;  the  blow  was  too  deep,  too 
vital. 

"  You  must  banish  all  thoughts  of  one  so  false  from 
your  life,  now  and  forever,  Cora,  my  poor  girl!  "  he  said 
in  a  low,  soothing  tone.  "  Think  no  more  of  him,  but  let 
the  rascal  see  that  you  are  not  crushed.  Let  me  guide 
and  befriend  you  in  your  troubles.  I  love  you  so  I  can 
not  bear  to  see  you  suffer.  Live  and  be  happy  for  my 
sake.    You  are  all  the  world  to  me,  little  Cora !  " 

"  I  can  not  listen  to  you  to-night.  Captain  Lindsay," 
she  said.  "  I  have  passed  through  so  much  suffering 
within  the  last  few  minutes  that  I  am  not  myself  just 
now.  I  will  put  the  past  all  from  me,  live  to  learn  to 
forget  the  false,  and  commence  life  anew  among  my 
girlhood  friends  of  the  East.  I  was  happy,  oh,  so  happy ! 
until  I  came  out  here.  I  have  no  one  to  live  for,  and  my 
only  wish  is  to  go  far  away." 

**  Why  do  you  say  you  have  no  one  to  live  for,  when 
my  whole  heart  and  soul  is  yours  beyond  recall,  Cora? 
No  other  woman  has  ever  won  a  word  of  praise,  a  sign, 
or  the  merest  token  of  love  from  my  lips  save  your  own 
dear  self.  Do  not  spurn  an  honest  heart  that  loves  you 
because  of  one  you  found  to  be  false  and  cowardly.  Cora, 
when  you  turn  from  me,  you  will  blot  out  all  the  sunshine 
from  my  life.  Do  not  keep  me  in  cruel  suspense  longer. 
Give  me  one  word  of  encouragement.  Promise  me  that 
some  day  you  will  be  my  wife,  little  Cora !  " 

To  his  surprise,  she  turned  and  placed  her  hand  in 
his. 

"  Let  it  be  as  you  wish,"  she  said,  indifferently.  "  It 
does  not  matter  to  me ;  nothing  matters  to  me  now." 


176  CORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE  REGIMENT. 


CHAPTER  XLI. 

When  Arthur  Rollins  left  Cora,  to  take  the  horses  back 
a  short  distance,  as  he  had  promised  to  do,  he  expected 
to  return  to  Fort  Hadley  in  at  least  half  an  hour. 

But,  alas !  human  calculations  often  fail. 

He  rode  along  joyfully,  thinking  how  thankful  he 
should  be  to  know  that  Cora  and  himself  were  free.  By 
this  time  his  little  love  had  reached  the  fort  in  safety,  and 
he  would  join  her  in  a  few  hours,  at  the  furthest,  he 
thought. 

How  weird  and  strange  the  wood  looked  as  he  hurried 
on  his  way  ?  So  lost  was  he  in  his  blissful,  happy  reveries, 
that  he  never  once  noticed  where  the  road  diverged,  until 
he  came  up  beside  a  fire  that  smouldered  redly,  causing 
ruddy  reflections  to  shine  through  the  thick  foliage. 

He  stopped  short  as  he  espied,  but  a  few  yards  further 
on,  a  tent,  from  which  at  least  a  dozen  dusky  forms 
emerged. 

His  heart  beat  quickly,  and  his  breath  came  in  short 
gasps,  as  he  realized  the  truth  of  the  situation.  He  had 
taken  the  wrong  path,  and,  great  God !  it  was  too  late  to 
retrace  his  steps.  He  had  stumbled  upon  a  party  of  war- 
riors. 

In  a  moment  intense  excitement  prevailed  among  the 
dusky  tribe,  and  with  strange,  savage  cries  they  sur- 
rounded their  helpless  victim  and  tore  him  from  the  sad- 
dle, brandishing  their  heavy  clubs  over  his  head  as  he 
lay  helpless  on  the  ground. 

There  was  one  dark-browed  warrior  whose  blighting 
glances  fell  upon  young  Rollins,  and  struck  terror  to  his 
soul  as  he  recognized  him — it  was  Half-breed  Joe. 


CORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT.  177 

His  word  was  law  among  his  swarthy  followers.  In- 
stantly the  recognition  became  mutual,  and  he  cried  out 
in  quick,  excited  tones : 

"  Spare  him  a  little — I  have  use  for  him  just  now. 
Through  him  I  will  find  her!" 

He  turned  to  his  despairing  captive,  swayed  back  the 
savage  warriors  with  an  imperative  gesture,  and  bid  him 
rise  and  follow  him. 

Arthur  obeyed,  and  soon  the  two  men  found  them- 
selves alone  within  the  tent  and  facing  each  other. 

A  half  snarl  fell  from  Joe's  lips  as  he  advanced  toward 
him. 

"  So  you  made  off  with  the  pretty  white  lily  that  I  had 
chosen  for  my  bride  when  I  should  return,"  he  said, 
fiercely.  "  I  swore  to  be  revenged  upon  you  then,"  he 
continued,  "  and  Half-breed  Joe,  as  they  call  me,  always 
keeps  his  word." 

"  I  know  that  my  life  is  in  your  hands,"  responded 
Arthur,  huskily,  "  but  I  can  tell  you  now,  and  forever, 
she  will  never  be  your  bride.  She  is  plighted  to  me,  and 
no  other  man  living  can  ever  claim  her  as  his  wife!  " 

"  I  will  see  that  you  are  bound  with  heavy  thongs,  and 
fare  as  prisoners  do,  seeing  that  you  do  not  favor  my 
plans,"  he  said,  menacingly.  "  Come,  braves,  tie  this 
man  securely ;  give  him  no  mercy ;  feed  him  on  small  ra- 
tions; there  is  trouble  between  us,  and  it  will  be  war  to 
the  knife  by  and  by !  " 

Quickly  they  sprung  forward  and  obeyed  him,  binding 
his  arms  cruelly  to  the  staples  beside  him,  thrusting  a  bed 
of  dry  leaves  at  his  feet,  then,  laughing  at  his  misery, 
departed. 

"  Heaven  forgive  them,  I  never  can !  "  he  cried,  with  a 


178  CORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT. 

bitter  groan.  "  No  one  will  ever  know  what  has  become 
of  me.  They  will  starve  me,  and  my  bones  will  He  bleach- 
ing in  the  sun  for  many  a  day  before  Cora  learns  what 
my  fate  has  been.  The  last  word  I  utter  will  be  her  pure, 
sweet  name.  Thank  God  she  is  saved  and  safe  among 
those  who  love  her.  Would  that  I  could  wake  and  find 
that  this  was  but  a  horrible  dream,  that  I  have  been  look- 
ing into  Cora's  blue  eyes  and  listening  to  her  sweet  voice 
instead  of  that  fiend's." 

He  made  a  mighty  effort  to  break  the  heavy  thongs 
that  were  cutting  into  his  swollen  wrists ;  but  it  was  use- 
less; the  heavy  thongs  seemed  to  cut  their  way  deeper, 
racking  him  anew  with  torture,  until  he  thought  he  would 
go  mad. 


CHAPTER  XLH. 

Arthur  Rollins  made  up  his  mind,  as  he  lay  there  in 
that  horrible  position,  that  he  must  make  his  escape  or  he 
would  die.  He  could  endure  his  captivity  no  longer. 
With  one  mighty  effort  he  wrenched  himself  fre^. 

Oh,  the  unspeakable  joy  that  came  to  him  when  he 
found  that  he  was  no  longer  bound  in  captivity!  But 
how  should  he  make  his  escape  without  being  detected? 

Every  moment  seemed  an  age  to  him.  His  thoughts 
were  mingled  with  a  feverish  excitement  of  Cora  and 
liberty. 

The  first  faint  streaks  of  daylight  were  stealing  in 
through  the  aperture  in  the  low  tent.  He  went  to  the  door 
of  his  prison.    It  was  fastened  with  many  thongs,  which 


CORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE  REGIMENT.  179 

he  at  last  succeeded  in  tearing  apart.  Then  he  peered  cau- 
tiously out,  looked  around  him,  and  saw  what  his  chances 
were  for  escape. 

One,  two  dusky  forms  were  moving  about  a  few  yards 
distant.  It  would  never  do  to  arouse  their  suspicions, 
he  well  knew ;  so  he  went  back  to  the  spot  which  he  had 
just  left  and  waited  anxiously  for  the  moccasined  Indians 
to  pass  along. 

He  did  not  have  to  wait  long,  for  just  at  that  moment 
several  dusky  forms  came  up  to  where  a  lumbering  wagon 
stood,  and  began  piling  in  deer-skins  and  the  spoils  of 
their  last  hunting  expedition. 

An  Indian  lad  came  across  the  lawn,  leading  a  spirited 
pony,  which  he  soon  hitched  to  the  vehicle.  Then  he  took 
a  seat  among  the  soft  pile  until  all  was  ready  for  him 
to  drive  off,  and  pulling  his  thick  cap  down  over  his  ears, 
he  began  to  nod  until  he  had  lost  himself  in  slumber. 

Arthur  watched  the  well-filled  wagon  from  his  place 
of  concealment  with  his  heart  in  his  eyes.  A  sudden 
thought  came  to  him,  as  daring  as  it  was  difficult,  and 
he  determined  to  put  it  into  execution  without  an  instant's 
delay,  if  it  were  in  his  power — ^and  that  was  to  take  ad- 
vantage of  the  boy's  sleeping  and  crawl  quickly  under 
the  huge  pile  of  skins  that  they  had  arranged  to  send  to 
the  next  reservation. 

Watching  his  opportunity  eagerly,  Arthur  Rollins 
found  a  moment  when  there  was  no  one  in  sight,  in  which 
he  crawled  hastily  into  the  wagon,  the  skins  covering  him 
from  view  most  effectually. 

Five  minutes  later  the  boy  started  on  his  way  with  his 
burden,  and  as  he  left  the  weather-beaten  tents  of  the 
Sioux  village  behind  him,  jolted  along  slowly  over  the 
narrow,  uneven  road  that  led  to  a  belt  of  forest,  Arthur 


180  CORA,  THE   PET   OF  THE   REGIMENT, 

rolled  away  the  heavy  load  that  enveloped  him,  and 
breathed  a  fervent  prayer  of  thankfulness. 

For  an  instant  he  sat  bolt  upright  in  the  lumbering 
wagon,  while  the  boy  drove  on  further  and  further,  leav- 
ing the  village  miles  behind  him. 

Arthur  had  been  revolving  in  his  mind  the  quickest  way 
to  pilot  himself  to  safety  and  Fort  Hadley.  The  wagon 
moved  altogether  too  slowly  to  suit  him.  They  were  apt 
at  any  moment  to  be  overtaken  by  a  band  of  roving  hunt- 
ers, while  they  were  proceeding  in  the  direction  of  another 
tribe  of  dusky  warriors,  who  would  take  his  life  without 
an  instant's  hesitation  if  they  discovered  him.  Every 
moment  was  precious  to  him  now.  He  must  make  his 
escape  at  once,  if  he  was  to  avoid  greater  dangers. 

Suiting  the  action  to  the  word,  he  leaped  to  the  side  of 
the  wagon  and  jumped  to  the  ground,  calling  loudly  to 
the  boy  to  stop.  As  the  lad  turned  and  saw  him  emerge 
from  the  wagon,  he  gave  a  quick,  frightened  scream,  and 
flinging  the  reins  down,  he  jumped  to  the  ground  and  fell 
on  his  knees  in  helpless  bewilderment,  raising  his  trem- 
bling hands  in  mortal  dread. 

"  It  is  a  ghost !  "  the  boy  thought  in  alarm,  "  and  he  has 
been  pursuing  me  ever  since  I  left  the  village."  With  this 
belief  he  took  to  his  heels,  and  turning  his  scared  face  in 
the  opposite  direction,  started  on  a  swift  run,  which  he 
kept  up  until  he  was  fairly  exhausted. 

In  the  meantime,  Arthur  Rollins  made  the  most  of  the 
opportunity  afforded  him. 

Quickly  unharnessing  the  horse,  he  laid  a  fur  robe  over 
the  animal's  back,  mounted  it,  and  dashed  away,  taking 
the  best  paved  road  that  he  could  find,  plunging  along  at 
break-neck  speed  through  tangled  shrubbery,  over  rough 


CORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT.  181 

stones  and  bowlders,  with  the  thought  of  home  and  a 
glad  meeting  with  Cora  spurring  on  his  every  energy. 

Oh  for  some  sight  to  guide  him  to  civilization ! 

He  had  guided  the  animal  further  away  from  the 
haunts  of  the  Sioux,  but  at  last  he  became  puzzled,  as  he 
saw  just  ahead  of  him  that  the  route  ended  in  a  steep  path 
that  led  to  the  water's  edge. 

Which  way  should  he  go  now  ?  While  he  was  thinking 
how  he  should  proceed,  he  was  startled  by  a  noise  in 
the  underbrush,  and  turned  around  and  looked  in  the  di- 
rection from  whence  the  sound  came.  To  his  great  sur- 
prise he  saw  two  stalwart  Indians  sitting  on  the  bank 
before  a  fire;  they  were  just  finishing  their  meal,  when 
one  of  them  caught  sight  of  the  horse  and  rider  scarcely 
a  dozen  yards  distant. 

With  a  mighty  yell  that  resounded  through  the  forest, 
they  jumped  to  their  feet  and  rushed  wildly  toward  him. 

Quick  as  a  flash,  Arthur  Rollins  jerked  his  horse's  head, 
and  with  one  mighty  effort  wheeled  him  around,  lashing 
him  on  with  might  and  main,  and  digging  the  spurs  into 
his  sides  until  he  dashed  madly  into  the  stream. 

Arthur  Rollins  was  whirled  by  the  topmost  breaker  and 
carried  forcibly  along,  now  sinking  beneath  the  breast 
of  some  huge  wave,  now  floating  with  the  foam-tossed 
tide,  without  volition  on  his  part,  the  helpless  and  un- 
conscious prey  of  the  waves.  A  long,  dark  speck  sud- 
denly appeared  on  the  horizon,  coming  nearer  and  nearer 
to  the  floating  figure  and  the  stark-white  face. 

Presently  it  came  abreast  of  the  inanimate  form,  and 
with  a  great  effort  strong  hands  rescued  him  from  the 
angry  waves,  and  placed  him  on  the  barge  of  logs  that 
was  plying  its  way  in  the  course  he  had  intended  to  take. 

After   considerable   effort,   he   was   restored   to   con- 


182  CORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT. 

sciousness,  though  he  was  too  weak  and  feeble  to  tell  his 
kind  rescuers  who  he  was  or  his  destination. 

They  were  rough  men,  but  kind  of  heart;  and  as  they 
placed  Arthur  upon  the  rude  bed  they  had  improvised 
for  him,  he  relapsed  into  a  semi-conscious  state  again, 
while  the  rude  barge  carried  him  further  and  further 
away  from  the  destination  for  which  he  had  set  out. 

The  barge  upon  which  Arthur  lay  was  owned  by  two 
men,  who  were  traders,  making  long  trips  of  hundreds  of 
miles  on  each  expedition  without  stopping. 

They  were  bound  for  a  Southern  frontier  village  on 
this  particular  occasion,  which  was  far  removed  from 
Fort  Hadley,  and  they  concluded,  after  a  short  consulta- 
tion, that  it  would  be  best  to  take  the  young  man  with 
them  who  had  been  so  strangely  cast  in  their  midst. 

They  did  this  out  of  the  kindness  of  their  hearts,  little 
dreaming  what  was  to  accrue  from  it. 

If  they  had  aroused  him,  and  asked  him  about  it,  his 
whole  after  life  would  have  been  different;  but  they 
thought  it  best  to  let  him  remain  there  until  he  should 
come  out  of  his  strange  sleep  of  his  own  accord. 


CHAPTER  XLIII. 

Arthur  Rollins  was  awakened  from  his  troubled  sleep 
long  hours  after  his  miraculous  rescue  by  the  sound  of 
excited  voices  near  by. 

"  Where  am  I  ? "  he  asked  in  bewilderment,  as  he 
caught  sight  of  the  strangers  bending  over  him. 


CORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE  REGIMENT.  183 

"  On  a  barge  bound  for  a  distant  landing,"  responded 
one  of  the  men,  shortly. 

"  What  do  you  say  to  joining  us  if  you  have  no  better 
place  to  go  to  ?  "  asked  the  other. 

"  I  am  in  a  great  hurry  to  reach  the  place  where  I 
came  from,"  Arthur  answered,  eagerly.  "  I  came  from 
Fort  Hadley  a  short  time  ago,  and  I  am  anxious  to  re- 
turn there  as  soon  as  possible." 

"  From  Fort  Hadley  ?  "  both  men  echoed. 

"  Yes ;  I  belong  there,"  he  answered. 

"  That  is  the  place  we  both  started  from  on  this  trip. 
We  laid  off  there,  and  got  pretty  well  acquainted  with  the 
folks  at  the  fort.  We  had  considerable  trading  to  do  with 
the  settlers,  and  left  there  not  three  days  ago." 

"  You  left  Fort  Hadley  only  three  days  ago?  "  echoed 
Arthur,  a  world  of  eagerness  in  his  voice.  "  Did  you 
know  General  Ormsby,  or — or  his  daughter?  She  ar- 
rived home  safe,  of  course,  did  she  not?"  this  with  in- 
tense wistfulness. 

"  I  will  answer  one  question  at  a  time,  young  man," 
he  answered,  slowly.    "  General  Ormsby  is  dead." 

"  Dead  ?  "  broke  in  Arthur,  starting  up  as  if  he  had 
been  dealt  a  sudden  blow. 

"  Yes ;  and  before  he  died  he  married  an  elderly  lady 
who  kept  house  for  him;  her  name  was  Bitterwood,  I 
heard  them  say,  and  she  died  too." 

"  Great  God !  "  moaned  Arthur,  wildly,  quite  believing 
that  he  had  lost  his  senses.  "  And  who  is  Cora  living 
with?  The  poor  darling  must  be  completely  overcome 
with  grief.  I  will  pay  you  a  good  sum,  men,  if  you  will 
turn  this  boat  back  and  land  me  at  the  nearest  point  to 
Fort  Hadley.    I  must  go  to  her  at  once.    Oh,  if  I  had 


184  CORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE  REGIMENT. 

only  known  this  before,  if  I  had  only  been  free  to  go  to 
her !  "  his  head  falling  sadly  in  his  hands,  his  voice  husky 
with  emotion. 

"  Haven't  you  heard  the  news  about  the  general's 
daughter  ?  "  the  other  queried,  staring  hard  at  the  man's 
dejected  face. 

"  What  news  ?  "  he  asked,  with  feverish  impatience. 
"  Be  kind  enough  not  to  keep  me  an  instant  in  suspense. 
Has — has  anything  happened  to  her  ?  " 

"  Oh,  no ;  it's  a  kind — er — romantic  sort  of  affair.  She 
is  like  all  girls,  I  suppose.  When  they  find  themselves 
alone  in  the  world,  the  next  thing  they  have  to  think  of 
is  love  and  marriage.  He's  a  handsome  young  man,  and 
she  fell  straightway  in  love  with  him,  and  the  upshot  of 
the  matter  is  they're  preparing  for  a  fine  wedding,  which 
is  to  come  off  soon." 

"  This  is  the  first  I  have  heard  of  it,"  Arthur  answered 
in  a  low  voice,  a  distressed  look  creeping  into  his  heavy 
eyes.    "  I  can  not  bear  to  think  of  Cora  loving  another." 

"  Why  not  ?  She  was  all  alone  in  the  world.  Don't 
you  like  to  hear  about  lovers  ?  " 

"  I — I  never  thought  of  her  marrying  any  one  but  me. 
Who — who  is  the  man  she  is  to  wed  ?  "  he  asked,  sud- 
denly, his  eyes  shining  with  suppressed  excitement. 

"  If  I  remember  his  name  aright,  it  is  Captain  Lind- 
say," was  his  reply.  "  She  has  put  all  her  affairs  in  his 
hands,  forgotten  her  sorrow,  and,  it  appears  to  me,  she 
will  make  as  happy  a  bride  as  the  sun  ever  shone  upon." 

"  The  last  man  in  the  world  for  that  poor  girl  to  have 
intrusted  her  future  to — ^my  hated  rival,  and  one  her 
father  always  disliked.  It  seems  like  a  dream  to  me," 
he  murmured,  under  his  breath.     "And  to  think  she  is 


a)KA,  THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT.  185 

false  to  my  memory,  tired  of  me  so  soon,  and  I  believed 
her  as  true  as  Heaven  to  me,  and  to  the  vows  that  I  had 
supposed  were  so  sacred  and  were  to  bring  us  such  hap- 
piness. Ah !  the  bitterness  of  it !  Better  far  had  I  been 
killed  by  the  savages  from  whom  I  have  just  escaped 
than  to  have  lived  to  learn  of  her  heartlessness  and  per- 
fidy— that  another  has  taken  my  place  before  a  week  has 
separated  us  from  each  other !  " 

Suddenly  the  thought  came  to  him  that  perhaps  these 
men  might  know  when  the  wedding  was  to  take  place. 
He  had  forgotten,  in  his  excitement,  to  ask  that  most  im- 
portant question. 

Two  days  later,  they  told  him,  and  it  seemed  to  him 
in  that  moment  that  the  very  life  seemed  parting  from 
his  body. 

"  Two  days  more !  "  Arthur  gasped.  "  There  is  noth- 
ing I  will  not  do  or  give  you  if  you  will  only  turn  your 
barge  in  the  direction  that  will  be  nearest  for  me  to  reach 
Fort  Hadley.  I  must  get  there  by  that  time,  or  I  will 
blow  out  my  brains,  as  there  is  nothing  more  left  for 
me  to  live  for!  Can  you  turn  this  craft  at  once  if  I  make 
it  worth  your  while,  my  good  men  ?  If  you  but  knew  that 
a  human  life  is  at  stake,  in  the  name  of  a  just  God,  you 
would  return  with  me  without  a  moment's  delay !  " 

"  Impossible !  "  they  both  answered,  simultaneously. 
"  We  would  lose  all  we  possessed  in  the  world  if  we 
were  not  to  push  on  as  quickly  as  we  can  and  get  to  the 
place  we're  bound  for." 

Arthur  gave  a  groan  of  despair.  The  last  hope  was 
gone.  He  did  not  pursue  the  subject  any  longer,  and  they 
both  wondered  at  his  strange  silence. 

As  the  gray  light  of  morning  ushered  in  the  dawn,  one 


186  CORA^  THE    PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT. 

of  the  men  woke  up,  and  started  in  the  direction  of 
[Arthur's  couch. 

There  was  no  response  to  his  loud  call,  and  his  voice 
echoed  out  over  the  waters,  startling  his  companion,  who 
hastened  to  the  spot. 

"  Where  is  he ?  He  has  gone?  "  they  said  to  each  other 
in  shocked  tones;  then  they  instituted  a  search  on  the 
barge,  only  to  find  that  he  was  missing,  and  had  left  no 
trace  behind  him. 


CHAPTER  XLIV. 

But  to  return  to  Cora,  dear  reader.  Now  that  she  had 
given  her  promise  to  Captain  Lindsay  that  she  would  be 
his  bride,  she  would  not  falter,  though  it  cost  her  the 
greatest  effort  of  her  Hfe  to  look  the  future  in  the  face. 

To  bind  her  promise  more  securely,  Captain  Lindsay 
lost  no  time  in  making  their  engagement  known, 

Cora  received  the  congratulations  of  her  friends  in  a 
very  subdued  manner,  and  more  than  one  whispered  to 
themselves  that  it  was  a  most  unhappy  betrothal ;  but  she 
was  alone  in  the  world,  they  argued,  and  it  was  much  bet- 
ter for  her  to  marry. 

Deeply  as  the  sorrow  enshrouded  her,  Cora  could  not 
help  but  notice  that  day  by  day  her  friend,  Julia  Gordon, 
became  more  depressed.  So  she  made  up  her  mind  to 
question  her  about  it.  Perhaps  there  was  some  secret 
sorrow  gnawing  at  her  friend's  mind. 


CORA,   THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT.  187 

At  first  Julia  denied  everything;  then  she  suddenly 
burst  into  tears. 

"  I  may  as  well  tell  you  the  truth,  Cora,"  she  said. 
*'  The  day  that  you  marry  Captain  Lindsay,  all  happiness 
will  be  over  for  me.  For,  ah !  how  can  I  tell  you  ? — I  love 
him !  " 

"  If  that  is  the  case,  Julia,  I  shall  never  marry  him," 
said  Cora.  "  I  would  rather  die  than  take  any  girl's 
lover  from  her !  " 

"  It  was  not  your  fault !  "  sobbed  Julia ;  "  you  did  not 
know.    I  kept  it  from  you." 

"  But  I  know  it  now,"  returned  Cora,  firmly. 

"  It  is  too  late !  "  sobbed  Julia. 

"  You  should  have  trusted  me  with  your  secret  be- 
fore," said  Cora,  gently. 

"  What  could  it  possibly  avail  ?  " 

"  You  can  not  always  tell.  Had  I  known  this,  I  should 
never  have  promised  to  become  his  wife;  and  now  that 
I  know  it,  I  shall  never  be !  " 

"  Would  you  make  so  great  a  sacrifice  for  me,  Cora  ?  " 

"  It  is  no  sacrifice,  Julia.  I  have  long  since  regretted 
my  promise  to  marry  him.  This  shows  me  a  way  out 
of  it." 

"  But  Captain  Lindsay,  he  would  not  release  you." 

"  No  man  can  force  a  girl  to  say  '  yes '  at  the  altar 
against  her  will,"  she  answered ;  "  and  when  I  give  you 
my  word  that  I  will  not  marry  Captain  Lindsay,  nothing 
can  make  me  change  my  mind.  You  can  rest  assured  that 
I  will  not  do  so." 

Julia  caught  her  hands  and  kissed  them  with  gratitude 
too  great  for  words. 
■'    "  You  are  indeed  a  noble  friend,"  she  murmured,  ex- 


188  CORA,   THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMINT. 

citedly.  "  Words  fail  me  in  expressing  to  you  what  I 
feel." 

"  He  trifled  with  my  affections,"  said  Julia,  laying  her 
head  on  Cora's  shoulder.  "  He  always  sought  me  out 
when  you  were  not  about,  and  made  professions  of  love 
to  me.  On  one  occasion  he  asked  me  to  marry  him,  but 
the  next  evening  he  laughed  me  out  of  it,  saying  it  could 
only  be  called  a  joke.  What  on  earth  could  I  say  to  that? 
Luckily,  I  had  not  even  told  my  sister.  Had  I  done  so,  I 
would  have  been  shamed  to  death  of  the  result.  She 
would  have  called  him  to  an  account,  and  he  would  have 
backed  out  before  the  whole  fort." 

"  No  wonder,  if  that  is  the  case,  you  feel  badly.  He 
must  keep  his  word  and  marry  you,"  declared  Cora. 

"  You  mean  well  enough,  but  you  don't  know  what 
you  say,"  sighed  Julia. 

"  Any  man  who  asks  a  girl  to  marry  him  should  be 
held  to  it,"  said  Cora,  firmly,  "  even  if  she  has  to  resort 
to  strategy  to  cause  him  to  keep  his  vow." 

"  That  could  not  be,"  sighed  Julia. 

"  Do  you  know  how  it  could  be  done  in  this  case  ?  " 
asked  Cora,  throwing  her  arms  about  Julia,  and  looking 
eagerly  into  her  face. 

She  shook  her  head  disconsolately. 

Cora  bent  forward  and  eagerly  whispered  a  few  words 
in  her  ear. 

Those  few  words  fairly  made  Julia  gasp  for  breath. 

"  It-— it  could  not  be  done,"  she  murmured,  faintly. 

"Why  not?"  asked  Cora. 

"  Because  I — I  would  not  have  the  courage." 

"  A  woman  has  the  courage  to  do  anything  to  win  the 
man  she  loves,"  said  Cora. 


CX»A,  THE   PET  OF  THE  REGIMENT.  189 

"  That  is  very  true,"  said  Julia.    "  I— I  will  try  it." 

"  Spoken  like  your  own  brave  self !  With  such  cour- 
age you  can  not  fail,"  said  Cora. 

A  glad  light  broke  over  Julia  Gordon's  face. 

"  You  are  indeed  my  friend,"  she  murmured.  "  I  will 
make  the  attempt,  and  whatever  comes  of  it —  Well,  I 
shall  not  anticipate  anything  ahead,  but  wait  and  see  what 
comes.  I  tried  to  keep  up,  but,  ah,  Cora,  my  dear,  I 
am  greatly  afraid  I  should  have  broken  down  at  the  last 
moment !    You  are  my  guardian  angel !  " 

For  an  hour  or  more  Cora  and  Julia  Gordon  held  a 
whispered  consultation,  then  the  two  girls  retired  to  their 
room,  but  not  to  sleep.  There  was  so  much  which  re- 
quired their  attention,  it  was  after  midnight  when  at  last 
they  sought  their  couches. 


CHAPTER  XLV. 

When  the  traders  had  refused  Arthur  Rollins'  prayer, 
to  land  and  put  him  ashore,  he  lost  no  more  time  in  use- 
less pleading.  He  had  made  a  firm  resolve  in  his  own 
mind,  which  he  only  waited  the  opportunity  to  put  into 
execution. 

It  was  night.  He  stole  on  deck,  looking  long  and 
eagerly  down  into  the  fathomless  water  that  curled  and 
eddied  round  the  barge,  leaving  a  path  of  foam  behind  it. 

In  the  distance  he  saw  a  little  tug,  and  cried  out  to 
himself  that  HeaTcn  had  answered  his  prayer.  He  waited 


190  CORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT. 

until  the  boat  was  nearly  opposite  him,  then  with  one 
mad  plunge  he  dived  down  into  the  waters. 

He  sunk — he  rose,  then  with  deathless  energy  he  struck 
out  for  the  passing  tug,  and  with  a  force  born  of  despera- 
tion, he  grasped  the  little  boat  which  was  being  towed  by 
the  tug. 

He  never  knew  how  he  clambered  into  it. 

It  took  him  long  hours  to  recover  himself  sufficiently 
to  call  out  to  the  men,  who  were  at  last  moving  about  the 
deck.    It  was  daylight  by  this  time. 

To  Arthur's  great  joy,  he  found  on  ship-board  one  of 
the  sutlers  who  belonged  to  Fort  Hadley. 

The  recognition  between  them  was  mutual. 

This  man,  Harris  by  name,  had  heard  of  Cora's  loss, 
also  that  Arthur  Rollins  had  started  out  in  search  of 
her;  how  she  had  returned  to  Fort  Hadley  without  him, 
and  last,  but  by  no  means  least,  of  the  marriage  that 
was  to  be  celebrated  so  soon ;  and  to  come  upon  Arthur 
Rollins  so  suddenly,  surprised  him. 

He  wondered  if  young  Rollins  knew  of  the  approach- 
ing marriage  of  the  late  general's  beautiful  daughter,  and 
that  it  was  to  take  place  that  very  day — ay,  at  high 
noon. 

A  few  words  showed  him  that  the  young  man  was 
painfully  aware  of  the  fact. 

"  I  will  do  my  best,"  said  Harris.  "  I  do  not  forget 
that  you  once  helped  me  in  a  little  affair,  and  it's  a 
mighty  poor  rule  that  won't  work  both  ways.  Stay  right 
here,  and  I  will  let  you  know  in  just  no  time  at  all." 

It  seemed  to  Arthur  Rollins,  as  he  paced  the  deck  to 
and  fro,  that  the  man  would  never  return.  The  mo- 
ments, as  they  passed  by,  seemed  to  lapse  into  hours ;  he 


CORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT.  191 

did  not  even  have  his  watch  by  him  to  tell  him  how  the 
time  was  passing;  the  awful  suspense  seemed  to  take 
years  off  his  life.  When  he  could  endure  it  no  longer, 
he  sought  the  engineer  himself.  He  found  the  door  se- 
curely locked.  The  sign  of  "  No  admittance,"  which 
glared  at  him  grim,  black,  and  weather-beaten,  seemed 
to  hold  a  horrible  significance  to  him. 

With  one  mighty  effort,  Arthur  Rollins  burst  in  the 
door, 

"  You  must  send  this  boat  along !  "  he  cried.  "  You 
are  dealing  with  a  desperate  man!  If  fair  means  will 
not  suffice,  then  I  shall  resort  to  other  methods !  " 

Arthur  sprung  desperately  toward  the  lever,  and  be- 
fore either  of  them  could  divine  his  intention,  he  at- 
tempted to  take  the  engineer's  place,  and  to  man  the 
engine  himself. 

Harris  was  the  first  to  recover  his  presence  of  mind. 

"  Come  with  me.    You  must  leave  hSre !  "  he  said. 

"  Go  from  here — leave  me  at  once !  "  said  Arthur, 
hoarsely,  fairly  whirling  him  away  from  him;  then  be- 
fore he  could  recover  from  his  surprise,  Arthur  leaped  to 
his  side,  and  with  one  mighty  stroke  from  his  right 
arm,  he  hurled  him  out  through  the  half -open  door- way, 
shutting  it  with  a  heavy  thud  upon  him,  while  the  click 
of  the  heavy  iron  lock  told  Harris  plainly  enough  that 
the  door  was  fastened  between  him  and  the  two  men. 

Meanwhile,  the  tug  shot  rapidly  forward,  like  a  sea- 
gull skimming  over  the  water. 

Harris  realized  that  something  must  be  done  at  once. 

Again  he  tried  the  oaken  door,  but  he  found  that  it 
was  merely  a  waste  of  time.  He  placed  his  lips  to  the 
key-hole  and  shouted  desperately  to  Arthur: 


192  CORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT. 

"  My  God,  you  will  blow  up  the  boat !  In  another 
moment  we  will  be  lost!  Open  the  door  quick — in 
Heaven's  name !  " 

A  moment  that  seemed  the  length  of  eternity  elapsed, 
and  he  heard  footsteps  from  within  slowly  cross  the 
floor. 

The  bolt  was  shot  back,  and  Arthur  Rollins,  white  as 
he  would  ever  be  in  death  stood  before  him. 

But  he  did  not  pause  an  instant  to  contemplate  him. 

Like  a  flash,  Harris  sprung  past  him.  He  saw  the 
engineer  lying  motionless  upon  the  floor. 

He  could  not  stop  to  learn  the  difficulty  just  at  that 
moment,  but  he  sprung  hurriedly  to  the  engine,  and  re- 
versed the  lever  in  the  nick  of  time  to  avoid  a  most  ter- 
rible disaster. 

"  I  don't  care  what  you  do  now !  "  cried  Arthur.  "  See, 
the  flag  of  Fort  Hadley  is  in  sight,  and  I  am  just  in  time 
to  avert  the  marriage !  That  three  minutes'  leeway  meant 
life  to  me,  Harris.  Surely  you  understand  my  posi- 
tion. I — I  have  not  hurt  him.  He  interfered  with  me 
in  my  life-work.  I  had  to  silence  him  for  the  time 
being.  Don't  blame  me.  Hark!  what  noise  is  that  I 
hear?" 

"  It  is  the  booming  of  the  cannon  from  Fort  Had- 
ley," said  Harris,  laying  one  hand  on  his  arm.  "  You 
are  too  late,  Arthur,  my  boy.  Do  not  take  it  so  hard. 
It  could  not  be  helped.    You  did  all  you  could." 

"  Stop  the  tug !  "  yelled  Arthur.  "  For  the  love  of 
God,  hasten ! " 

"  Don't  you  see  that  the  marriage  is  over?  The  bene- 
diction is  to  be  pronounced  as  the  cannon  i«  fired.    The 


CORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE  REGIMENT.  IM 

general's  daughter  is  now  the  wife  of  Captain  Lindsay, 
Do  nothing  rash,  Arthur.  What  God  hath  joined  to- 
gether, let  no  man  put  asunder." 


CHAPTER  XLVI. 

Cora  Ormsby  was  up  with  the  sun  the  next  morning. 
This  was  the  beginning  of  what  was  known  far  and 
near  as  the  day  of  her  wedding  with  Captain  Lindsay. 

Early  that  very  same  morning  the  soldiers  and  officers 
of  the  fort,  with  their  wives  and  sweethearts,  had  busied 
themselves  in  gathering  flowers,  and  weaving  them  into 
bright-hued  wreaths  to  decorate  the  chapel.  When  they 
had  finished  beautifying  the  little  wooden  edifice,  they 
returned  to  the  fort  to  get  themselves  ready  for  the  gala 
occasion,  which,  with  its  military  honors,  was  to  be  one 
of  the  most  pompous  ceremonies  that  had  ever  taken 
place  at  Fort  Hadley. 

Cora  had  scarcely  time  to  realize  what  was  going  on, 
ere  messengers  began  to  arrive  at  the  door  of  her  dwell- 
ing. Julia  answered  the  summonses,  and  soon  the  broad- 
leaved  parlor  table  was  loaded  down  with  bright,  dew- 
sprinkled  flowers,  garlands,  and  wreaths,  with  cards  bear- 
ing the  names  of  Captain  Lindsay  and  other  officers,  with 
a  line  written  under  each  name — "  Best  wishes,"  "  Future 
happiness,"  etc. 

These  tributes  made  Cora  grow  sick  at  heart,  and  she 
turned  away  from  the  odorous  offerings  with  a  shudder 


194  CORA,  THE   PET   OF  THE   REGIMENT. 

of  disgust,  and  crept  back  to  her  room,  more  lonely  and 
desolate  than  ever. 

Her  self -communings  were  cut  short  by  the  entrance 
of  Julia  Gordon,  who  tripped  lightly  over  the  threshold, 
her  blue  eyes  bright  as  stars,  her  cheeks  flushed,  a  radiant 
dehght  shining  in  her  features. 

"  I  don't  suppose  you  have  allowed  yourself  an  hour's 
sleep,  my  dear  little  Cora,"  she  said,  coming  up  to  her 
and  patting  the  pale  cheeks  with  her  warm,  soft  hands. 
"  Cora,  you  have  made  me  so  happy  this  day ! "  she 
whispered,  joyously. 

"  Better  say  I  owe  you  a.  debt  which  I  can  never  in 
this  world  hope  to  repay,  Julia,"  the  girl  answered,  earn- 
estly. "  I  suppose  the  task  of  dressing  must  be  begun," 
added  Cora.  "  We  have  no  time  to  lose,  and  must  help 
each  other  as  well  as  we  can." 

"  I  have  laid  out  the  bride's  and  bride-maid's  dresses, 
and  everything  is  ready  for  us  whenever  you  think  it  is 
time  to  commence  dressing,"  Julia  responded,  quickly, 
the  light  in  her  eyes  deepening,  her  heart  beating  faster 
and  faster. 

"  I  will  trust  you  to  arrange  everything,"  replied  Cora ; 
"  and  I  know  the  marriage  will  go  off  as  smoothly  as  can 
be,  and  somebody's  heart,  at  least,  will  be  ever  so 
happy." 


CHAPTER  XLVn. 

'At  the  appointed  time,  Captain  Lindsay  was  in  the 
little  parlor  of  Miss  Gordon's  house,  pacing  up  and  down 
the  room  in  the  utmost  impatience. 


CORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE  REGIMENT.  195 

He  was  expecting  Cora  and  her  bride-maid  down  every 
moment.  It  was  growing  darker  each  second — ^the  very 
light  of  heaven  seemed  blotted  out  from  view. 

He  had  never  been  sure  that  he  would  win  her.  He 
was  in  dread  every  hour — yes,  every  moment — of  his 
life  that  something  should  occur  that  would  prevent 
Cora  from  marrying  him. 

He  had  wrung  the  promise  from  her  lips  when  she 
had  believed  her  lover  false  to  her,  but  she  had  not 
given  her  heart  to  him ;  it  belonged  to  another,  although 
she  had  pledged  herself  to  wed  his  rival  in  a  short  time. 

"I  wonder  if  Cora  will  fail  me?"  he  asked  himself 
over  again;  and,  unable  to  restrain  his  impatience  any 
longer,  he  went  to  the  staircase  and  listened,  and  he 
felt  relieved  as  he  caught  the  sound  of  girlish  voices  and 
soft,  rippling  laughter  coming  from  the  rooms  over- 
head. 

At  last  the  murmur  of  voices  ceased.  Noiselessly  they 
crept  down  the  stairs  and  walked  into  the  little  parlor, 
and  stood  silently  in  waiting. 

Captain  Lindsay  walked  hurriedly  toward  them,  mur- 
muring over  and  over  again: 

"  I  am  so  glad  you  have  come,  my  darling  bride  to  be ! 
It  is  growing  so  dark  we  can  hardly  see  each  other.  Take 
my  arm,  little  Cora,  love." 

A  white-robed  figure  stepped  forward  and  glided  to 
his  side.  The  dainty  dimpled  face  was  not  discernible 
behind  the  veil  of  fleecy  white  that  enveloped  her  fair 
head. 

Captain  Lindsay  led  the  veiled  figure  up  the  aisle, 
quite  believing  himself  the  happiest  lover  in  the  whole 
world.     The   minister  took   his   place   in   the   chancel, 


196  CORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT. 

opened  his  prayer-book,  and  the  little  group  took  their 
positions  beside  the  flower-wreathed  raiUng.  A  mo- 
mentary hush  filled  the  room;  every  eye  was  bent  in- 
tently upon  the  wedding  party. 

The  organ,  which  had  pealed  forth  the  sweet  strains 
of  a  wedding-march,  ceased,  and  the  minister  com- 
menced the  solemn  service. 

The  bridegroom's  responses  were  clear  and  earnest, 
the  bride's  so  faint  that  they  could  scarcely  catch  the  whis- 
pered words  that  fell  from  her  lips.  Another  instant 
and  he  pronounced  them  man  and  wife. 

Captain  Lindsay  leaned  forward  smilingly  as  she  swept 
the  folds  of  her  bridal-veil  aside  with  her  graceful  white 
hand. 

As  he  looked,  he  drew  back  with  a  startled  cry  that 
echoed  strangely  through  the  old  chapel.  Like  one  fas- 
cinated, he  gazed  into  the  half-frightened  face  that  looked 
into  his.  It  was  Julia  Gordon  whom  he  had  wedded,  and 
not  Cora  Ormsby!  And  at  the  same  moment  the  boom- 
ing of  the  cannons  was  heard  without,  their  deafening 
sounds  resounding  far  and  near. 


CHAPTER  XLVIIL 

Captain  Lindsay  gazed  into  the  face  looking  up  into 
his  own  like  one  aroused  from  a  horrible  dream. 

He  saw  through  it  all  now.  The  girl  standing  at  his 
side  had  taken  Cora  Ormsby's  place,  and  he  had  made 
her  his  wife.     These  two  girls  had  laid  this  daring  plot 


CORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT.  197 

together  to  outwit  him,  which  they  had  succeeded  in 
doing  most  cleverly. 

Captain  Lindsay's  face  would  never  be  whiter  in  death 
than  it  was  at  that  instant.  It  was  distorted  with  passion, 
too. 

Immediately  the  fierce  wrath  in  his  nature  was  stirred 
to  its  utmost  as  it  flashed  across  him  how  he  had  been 
victimized  by  Cora  and  Julia  Gordon. 

A  swift  change  seemed  to  come  over  the  girl  who 
stood  so  silently  by  his  side,  which  puzzled  him  despite 
his  intense  anger.  Whiter  and  whiter  she  grew,  while 
the  light  in  her  eyes  blazed  feverishly  in  their  depths. 

He  turned  his  head  and  looked  beyond  her.  Where  was 
the  bride-maid,  whom  he  knew  now  must  have  been 
Cora  ?  She  was  nowhere  to  be  seen ;  no  one  had  noticed 
the  pale-faced  girl,  in  the  intense  excitement  that  pre- 
vailed, as  she  glided  noiselessly,  like  a  wraith,  down  the 
crowded  aisle  among  the  panic-stricken  crowd. 

When  she  reached  the  hall  door  she  paused  an  instant, 
and  threw  a  long  gray  cloak  about  her  which  she  had  left 
there.  Then  she  sped  with  lightning-like  rapidity  along 
the  dusty,  winding  road  by  which  she  had  come  but  a 
short  time  before  on  her  strange  mission. 

One  thought  only  was  uppermost  in  Cora's  mind  as 
she  sped  swiftly  in  the  direction  of  the  Gordon  cottage, 
and  that  was,  to  collect  a  small  parcel  of  her  belongings, 
don  a  dark  robe,  and  to  start  straightway  off — anywhere, 
she  knew  not,  cared  not,  so  long  as  it  was  away  from  the 
fort. 

All  this  time  poor  Julia,  who  had  thoughtlessly  de- 
ceived handsome  Captain  Lindsay  into  that  strange  mar- 
riage, remained  unconscious  of  what  was  transpiring 
around  her. 


198  CORA,  THE    PET   OF  THE   REGIMENT. 

A  guilty  pang  of  deep  remorse  had  shot  through  her 
heart  when  she  saw  the  sudden  change  from  indifference 
to  hatred  which  her  newly  wedded  husband  showed  for 
her. 

A  wild  excitement  took  possession  of  her  when  she 
heard  him  hurl  fierce  maledictions  and  direful  threats 
at  her,  showing  no  ri'^ns  of  relenting,  granting  her  no 
mercy. 

She  reached  out  her  hands  imploringly  to  him,  uttering 
pitiful,  broken  cries,  and  falling  down  on  her  knees  lowly, 
beseechingly  before  him. 

She  might  as  well  have  knelt  before  a  statue. 

"  You  are  still  acting  a  clever  part,"  he  hissed,  in  a 
hard,  unnatural  voice ;  "  but  it  is  my  turn  now  to  see  that 
justice  is  done,  and  that  you  meet  your  just  reward, 
woman!  You  shall  suffer  more  than  you  have  made  me 
suffer!  There  is  no  punishment  that  will  be  too  great 
for  you  to  bear. 

"  You  knew  all  the  love  in  my  heart  was  giren  to  an- 
other, yet  you  forced  yourself  into  a  marriage  with  me. 
How  dared  you  deal  me  such  a  blow  ?  Any  one  else  but 
me  would  have  crushed  your  false  life  out.  How  came 
you  to  risk  my  anger  ?  " 

"  You  are  so  cruel  to  me  that  it  is  a  wonder  God  does 
not  strike  you  dead  I  "  she  moaned.  "  No  matter  how 
much  I  plead  my  great  love  for  you,  you  turn  a  deaf 
ear.  You  love  her  best.  You  taught  me  to  love  you 
once,  and  this  is  what  it  has  cost  you." 


CORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE  REGIMENT.  199 


CHAPTER  XLIX. 

Who  shall  picture  the  feelings  of  Arthur  Rollins,  as 
He  sprung  from  the  gang-plank  and  rushed  madly  up  the 
narrow  path  that  led  to  the  fort?  He  found  the  people 
in  the  fort  in  the  greatest  of  excitement. 

What  did  it  mean — the  white,  scared  faces  and  the 
terror  in  the  eyes  of  the  women  and  children? 

While  he  paused  a  moment  for  breath,  he  heard  the 
whole  story  of  the  marriage — how  it  had  turned  out  that 
the  two  girls  had  changed  places  at  the  very  altar;  that 
it  was  Julia  Gordon  who  had  wedded  Captain  Lindsay, 
and  his  terrible  rage  when  he  discovered  how  he  had 
been  duped,  and  of  Cora's  sudden  flight. 

As  he  listened  in  breathless  amazement,  quick  as  a  flash 
the  thought  came  to  him  that  all  the  trouble  he  had  un- 
dergone had  been  at  the  instigation  of  Captain  Lindsay. 

It  had  been  done  to  separate  him  from  Cora. 

He  could  have  cried  aloud  in  thankfulness — in  joy  to 
Heaven — that  Cora  was  not  wedded  to  his  rival. 

Where  could  she  have  gone?  Life  must  have  been  un- 
endurable to  her  to  have  fled  from  the  people  at  the 
fort. 

There  was  no  tie  that  bound  her,  now  that  the  old 
general  had  passed  away.  But  where  could  she  have 
gone?  His  judgment  told  him  that  she  must  have  gone 
back  to  the  East ;  there  was  no  other  place  toward  which 
she  could  have  turned  her  steps. 

He  made  up  his  mind  to  follow  her  at  once. 

He  took  one  of  the  ponies  picketed  close  at  hand,  and 
stole  away. 


200  CORA^   THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT. 

He  well  knew  that  if  he  should  rush  to  headquarters 
and  apply  for  leave  of  absence  to  Captain  Lindsay,  his 
superior  officer,  that  he  would  be  refused,  as  he  dared 
not  stand  the  chance  of  being  refused.  He  well  knew 
that  he  would  be  shot  down  on  sight,  as  a  deserter,  if 
they  were  to  find  him.  Even  for  all  that,  he  must  take 
his  chances,  come  what  might,  with  one  hope,  that  of 
finding  Cora,  to  buoy  him  up. 

A  day  and  a  night  he  traveled  incessantly.  He  had 
heard  from  a  trapper  whom  he  met  that  the  stage-coach 
on  the  overland  route  had  passed  that  point  but  a  short 
time  before,  and  that  among  the  passengers  he  had  no- 
ticed a  young  and  very  beautiful  girl,  whose  hair  was  as 
golden  as  the  sunshine  and  whose  eyes  were  as  blue  as 
forget-me-nots. 

"  It  is  she !  "  he  muttered  to  himself. 

"  I  could  not  help  but  notice  her,"  continued  the  trap- 
per ;  "  for  the  young  man  who  was  with  her  paid  her 
such  devoted  attention." 

"  The  young  man  who  was  with  her  ? "  he  gasped. 
"  Are  you  sure  you  have  not  made  a  mistake  ?  " 

The  trapper  shook  his  head. 

"  I  was  in  love  once  myself,"  he  answered,  "  when  I 
was  young,  and  I  have  a  tender  place  in  my  heart  for 
lovers.  I  could  not  help  but  watch  the  young  fellow,  he 
seemed  so  very  fond  of  the  girl  beside  him." 

Arthur's  hands  fell  nervously  to  his  side. 

"  Was  he  an  officer,  or  one  of  the  soldiers  of  the 
fort?"  he  inquired,  breathlessly. 

"  He  was  dressed  in  citizen's  clothes,  but  he  had  a 
very  superior  way  with  him.  I  think,  perhaps,  he  might 
have  been  an  officer — a  captain,  or  something  like  that." 

Arthur  paused.     If  this  was  the  case,  should  he  pur- 


CORA^  THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT.  201 

sue  Cora  any  further?  She  was  going  to  the  far  East 
with  never  a  thought  of  leaving  him  behind.  If  he  should 
pursue  her  and  overtake  her,  what  should  he  say  if  he 
found  her  with  some  lover  by  her  side? 

There  was  but  one  thing  to  do,  and  that  was  to  push 
onward.  He  dared  not  return ;  he  had  burned  his  bridges 
behind  him.  He  had  lost  heart  and  hope.  There  was 
nothing  now  to  look  forward  to  but  escape. 

It  hurt  him  to  be  known  as  a  deserter;  but  there  was 
no  help  for  it  under  the  circumstances.  They  could  court- 
martial  him,  put  him  to  death,  if  they  liked,  for  an  offense 
of  that  kind.     Yes,  he  must  go  on. 

It  was  with  a  very  sore  heart  that  Arthur  Rollins  pur- 
sued his  way.  Another  day  and  he  was  within  some 
fifty  miles  of  the  stage-coach. 

Once  more  he  turned  his  horse  in  the  direction  of  the 
m.ain  road.  It  was  night  by  this  time,  and,  tired  out  with 
the  journey  of  the  day,  he  sought  rest  for  a  little  while  in 
the  cool  shadow  of  the  trees. 

Tethering  his  horse  to  a  stake,  he  threw  himself  down 
in  the  long  green  grass.  He  did  not  mean  to  lose  himself 
in  sleep,  for  time  was  precious  to  him  if  he  would  over- 
take the  stage-coach.  An  hour  would  give  him  all  the 
rest  he  needed. 

He  had  scarcely  flung  himself  down  under  the  trees 
ere  he  heard  the  sound  of  the  tramping  of  horses'  feet. 
It  was  a  welcome  sound  to  Arthur,  for  companionship 
in  the  vast  wilderness  would  be  a  boon. 

He  was  about  to  call  out,  when  the  sentence  that  fell 
upon  his  ears  held  him  spell-bound. 

"  How  far  do  you  think  the  stage-coach  has  got  by 
this  time?  "  said  a  gruff  voice. 


202  CORA,   THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT. 

"  Not  more  than  twenty-five  miles  or  so,"  returned  his 
companion. 

Whereupon  three  or  four  more  voices  broke  in,  so  that 
Arthur  judged  there  must  at  least  be  half  a  dozen  men 
in  the  party. 

"  It  will  be  a  pretty  rich  haul !  "  exclaimed  the  first 
speaker,  with  a  chuckle.  "  I  have  had  a  good  description 
of  the  people  it  is  carrying,  and  we  shall  have  an  easy 
time  surrounding  it  and  getting  whatever  valuables  there 
may  be  in  the  crowd.  I'll  divide  up  evenly  with  you,  boys, 
in  all  save  sharing  the  pretty  blue-eyed  girl.  If  she  is  a 
little  beauty,  like  what  they've  all  described  her,  I  shall 
want  her  for  myself.  She  might  do  worse  than  become 
a  bandit's  bride,  eh,  boys  ?  It  will  be  very  easy  to  abduct 
her,  and  there  will  be  no  one  to  tell  what  has  become 
of  her,  and  she  will  soon  be  forgotten.  Of  course,  she 
is  not  traveling  alone ;  but  whoever  is  with  her,  we'll  set- 
tle his  hash  very  quick.  We  may  as  well  rest  here  until 
daylight;  we've  been  on  this  trail  for  two  days  now/- 
To-morrow  we'll  see  fun,  as  they  say  this  is  the  richest 
load  that  the  stage-coach  has  carried  for  many  a  day. 
Three  or  four  of  the  passengers  carry  belts  of  gold 
about  them.  It  is  always  best  to  attack  a  stage-coach 
at  night;  we  have  a  better  chance  of  escaping  to  the 
woods.  We  will  travel  all  day  and  overtake  it  in  the 
mountain-pass.  We  shall  have  them  literally  at  our 
mercy  there." 

They  arranged  their  plan  of  attack  minutely,  little 
dreaming  of  the  terrified  ears  into  which  they  were  pour- 
ing their  terrible  secret. 

Having  discussed  the  matter  at  length,  the  men 
stretched  themselves  upon  the  ground,  and  they  soon 
fell  into  a  deep  sleep. 


C»RA,  THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT.  203 

Arthur  had  crept  as  close  to  them  as  he  dared.  He 
was  afraid  that  the  loud  beating  of  his  heart  must  be 
heard  by  them. 

There  was  but  one  thing  for  him  to  do — to  mount 
his  horse  with  all  haste,  tired  though  the  animal  was, 
overtake  the  stage-coach,  inform  the  passengers  of  what 
he  had  heard,  and  warn  them  of  the  peril  which  was 
awaiting  them. 

But  how  could  he  reach  his  horse  ?  The  stake  to  which 
he  was  securely  tethered  was  on  the  other  side  of  the 
sleeping  men.  Perhaps  they  had  left  one  of  their  num- 
ber acting  as  sentinel ;  the  road-agents,  as  they  called 
themselves,  usually  took  that  precaution.  He  could  easily 
slip  away  on  foot;  but  without  a  horse  he  could  never 
expect  to  cover  the  distance  before  day-break. 

He  must  have  his  horse — or,  better  still,  one  of  theirs. 
They  had  said  that  their  animals  were  fresh.  He  could 
readily  believe  that  from  the  way  they  pawed  the  ground 
and  pranced  about  impatiently.  Yes,  one  of  their  horses 
would  be  best,  if  he  could  secure  it. 

Fortune  favored  him.  Just  as  he  was  wondering  how 
he  could  best  secure  one  of  their  steeds,  a  horse  broke 
away.    He  heard  a  muttered  curse  from  one  of  the  men. 

"  That  devilish  horse  is  loose  again  !  He  won't  go  far. 
Let  him  canter  round  to  his  heart's  content;  I'll  not  get 
up  and  chase  round  after  him,  I'll  warrant !  " 

The  horse  careened  around  so  wildly  that  in  a  mo- 
ment's time  every  one  was  awake,  much  to  Arthur's 
terror. 

But  they  were  a  lazy  set,  these  bandits.  Each  one 
made  up  his  mind  that  it  was  the  other's  place  to  get  the 
horse. 


204  CORA,   THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT. 

After  considerable  quarreling  and  bickering,  they  all 
settled  down  to  sleep  again,  and  Arthur  breathed  more 
freely. 

He  waited  some  few  moments  longer  to  assure  him- 
self that  they  were  all  thoroughly  asleep  again,  then  he 
stole  silently  forth  to  the  spot  where  the  horse  was  graz- 
ing. If  the  animal  made  a  fuss  at  his  approach,  all  would 
be  lost.  He  dared  not  speak  to  the  horse  to  assure  him 
as  he  approached.  It  was  a  moment  fraught  with  such 
terrible  danger  that  even  Arthur's  face  blanched.  If  the 
horse  betrayed  his  presence,  all  was  indeed  lost.  He 
could  only  breathe  a  silent  prayer  to  Heaven  as  he  cau- 
tiously approached. 

Nearer,  nearer  he  went.    Would  the  animal  betray  him  ? 

Trembling  like  an  aspen  leaf,  he  stretched  out  his  hand 
toward  the  horse. 

Another  instant  of  suspense.  Would  he  turn  from 
him  and  plunge  into  the  deep  wood,  or  would  he  re- 
main docile? 

He  tried  to  whisper  a  word,  but  no  sound  fell  from 
his  lips.  The  horse  raised  his  head,  and  with  one  bound 
plunged  into  the  forest  with  a  loud  neigh  of  alarm. 


CHAPTER  L. 


For  a  moment  Arthur  Rollins'  blood  stood  still  in  his 
veins ;  he  felt  that  he  was  discovered  by  the  road  agents. 

To  his  great  surprise,  not  one  of  them  stirred.  If  they 
heard  the  animal  they  must  surely  have  thought  that 


CORA,   THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT.  205 

he  was  simply  careering  about  in  play  at  finding  himself 
free. 

Arthur  resolved  upon  a  bold  step;  he  must  have  the 
horse.  There  was  but  one  way,  and  that  was  to  go  after 
him,  follow  him  into  the  thicket,  and  capture  him. 

Suiting  the  action  to  the  thought,  he  stole  cautiously 
forward  through  the  interlacing  trees.  Twice  he  was 
so  near  the  animal  that  his  outstretched  hand  almost 
grasped  the  bridle,  and  as  often  the  horse  eluded  him. 

Desperate  at  the  loss  of  time,  Arthur  dashed  forward 
and  made  a  lunge  for  the  horse,  catching  him  firmly  by 
the  mane.  At  first  the  animal  began  to  rear,  as  if  ex- 
pecting a  beating,  but  when  he  patted  him  on  the  neck  and 
whispered  a  few  low,  soothing  words,  he  became  docile 
enough.  With  cautious  steps  he  led  him  to  the  clearing. 
The  road  agents  had  not  taken  their  saddles  from  their 
horses,  and  he  was  thankful  for  that. 

Vaulting  into  the  saddle,  and  giving  the  animal  a  sharp 
cut  with  the  switch  he  carried,  he  was  off  like  an  arrow 
from  a  bow.  He  would  have  to  take  his  chances  upon 
their  hearing  the  galloping  roofs,  he  told  himself,  with 
white  set  lips. 

As  he  struck  across  the  sandy  plain  he  discovered 
that  the  horse  wore  no  shoes,  his  hoofs  making  little  or 
no  sound  on  the  soft  earth. 

Mile  after  mile  he  traveled  until  the  horse  began  to 
show  signs  of  exhaustion,  and  yet  he  was  some  ten  miles 
from  the  stage-coach. 

He  had  no  ammunition  with  him ;  he  did'  not  even 
have  a  revolver  with  which  to  protect  himself. 

His  only  safety  lay  in  reaching  the  stage-coach  at  all 
hazards.  The  sun  rose;  it  had  climbed  an  hour  high  in 
the  heavens.     Ever  and  anon  he  glanced  backward.     He 


£06  i»RA,  THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT. 

could  see  for  miles  over  the  plains.  There  was  no  human 
being  in  sight;  and  not  even  a  bird's  wing  swept  the 
horizon.  But  as  he  watched,  suddenly  he  became  aware 
of  a  cloud  of  dust  in  the  distance.  He  knew  full  well 
what  it  foretold — ^the  road  agents  were  close  lapon  the 
trail. 

The  horse  was  beginning  to  lag  so  painfully,  that  Ar- 
thur told  himself  he  could  make  quicker  time  on  foot. 
His  heart  ached  with  compassion  for  the  poor  beast  who 
had  served  him  so  nobly. 

Very  quietly  he  dismounted,  and  throwing  off  the 
bridle,  set  him  free,  and  bounded  along  over  the  sandy 
waste  on  foot 

He  was  an  expert  athlete.  The  first  mile  he  made  with 
great  ease  and  rapidity;  but  by  the  time  he  had  gained 
half  of  the  second  mile,  the  driver  of  the  stage-coach 
ahead  seemed  to  whip  up  his  horses. 

In  vain  he  waved  his  handkerchief  and  shouted  to  at- 
tract attention;  his  voice  could  not  penetrate  the  dis- 
tance; with  the  increased  speed  of  the  stage-coach,  his 
exhausted  condition  was  beginning  to  tell  upon  him. 

To  his  intense  surprise,  the  horse  which  he  had  aban- 
doned soon  came  galloping  up  to  him ;  the  few  moments' 
rest  seemed  to  have  worked  wonders. 

Arthur  welcomed  him  with  a  cry  of  delight,  and  sprung 
upon  his  back.  Another  mile,  and  just  as  the  horse 
reeled  under  him,  Arthur  came  alongside  of  the  stage- 
coach. 

His  suspicions  were  quite  correct ;  the  road  agents  had 
discovered  their  loss  at  day-break,  and  with  a  volley  of 
oaths,  had  set  about  to  look  for  the  missing  horse. 

Then  they  came  across  the  animal,  tethered  to  a  tree, 
which  Arthur  had  ridden  from  Fort  Hadley. 


CORA,  THE  PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT.  207 

They  knew  the  animal  at  once.  An  exclamation  of 
surprise  broke  from  their  lips,  and  many  conjectures  as 
to  where  the  rider  could  be  were  indulged  in. 

Each  one  agreed  to  the  fact  that  the  man  from  Fort 
Hadley,  whoever  he  might  be,  had  encamped  in  the  belt 
of  woods  in  which  they  had  taken  refuge  the  night  be- 
fore, had  heard  all  their  plans,  and  had  gone  ahead  to 
alarm  the  occupants  of  the  stage-coach. 

Imprecations  loud  and  deep  fell  from  every  lip. 

With  one  accord,  they  agreed  that  the  only  thing  to 
do  was  to  follow  in  hot  pursuit;  time  was  everything 
to  them. 

They  soon  discovered  the  footprints,  and  a  yell  of  rage 
followed. 

"  It  is  as  we  thought,"  declared  the  ringleader ;  "  the 
man  has  made  straight  for  the  stage-coach  route !  " 

As  soon  as  they  reached  the  level  plain,  one  of  the 
road  agents  produced  a  spy-glass,  and  raised  it  to  his 
eyes. 

"  Aha !  "  he  cried,  "  we  were  quite  right  in  our  sur- 
mise, boys!  There  he  is,  galloping  off  on  our  horse 
Toby,  for  all  he's  worth !  " 

Half  a  dozen  rifles  were  brought  into  position  for  fir- 
ing at  once. 

"  No ;  save  your  ammunition,  boys ;  you'll  need  it  a 
little  later,"  returned  the  ringleader,  turning  to  his  men. 
"  He's  riding  my  horse  Toby,  and  I  don't  want  it  shot 
down,  otherwise  we'd  riddle  him  with  bullets !  " 

Fortune  favored  Arthur.  For  a  few  moments'  time, 
while  the  road  agents  were  holding  this  conversation, 
they  could  see  that  he  was  slowly  but  surely  distancing 
them. 

"  He  has  seen  us !  "  exclaimed  one. 


208  CORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE  REGIMENT. 

"  I  have  an  idea,"  interposed  the  leader.  "  It  will  not 
be  wise  for  us  to  attack  the  stage-coach  to-day.  We  will 
wait  two  or  three  days,  follow  it,  and  make  the  attack 
later.  It  will  be  just  the  same  to  us  whether  we  strike 
them  at  the  mountain-pass,  or  whether  we  wait  until  they 
reach  the  other  side,  and  surround  them  in  the  forest 
after  nightfall." 

To  this  course  of  procedure  they  unanimously  agreed. 

Drawing  rein  beneath  a  clump  of  trees,  they  dis- 
mounted, grimly  watching  the  stage-coach  as  it  lumbered 
up  the  steep  incline. 


CHAPTER  LI. 

5\rthur  Rollins  struggled  on,  urging  the  lagging  steed 
forward,  until  panting  and  stumbling  in  the  roadside, 
he  found  that  he  could  go  no  further. 

The  time  had  come  at  last  when  he  would  have  to  pur- 
sue the  remainder  of  his  journey  alone.  Brave  though 
he  was,  he  felt  himself  in  no  condition  to  go  the  dis- 
tance on  foot;  yet,  panting  with  fatigue,  he  released  the 
horse  and  pressed  onward,  nerving  himself  to  face  death, 
if  need  be,  for  Cora's  sweet  sake, 

"  My  only  hope,  my  inward  prayer,  is  to  reach  my 
darling  in  time  to  save  her,"  he  muttered  to  himself,  re- 
doubling his  efforts.  "  It  is  no  matter  what  becomes 
of  me  after  that," 

Heaven  must  have  aided  the  almost  frantic  lover  in 


CORA,  THE  PET  OF  THE  REGIMENT.  209 

his  superhuman  efforts  to  save  Cora,  whom  he  loved  so 
fondly. 

Slowly  and  patiently  he  toiled  along,  trembling  with 
anxiety  and  weakness. 

The  long  suspended  color  drifted  back  to  his  white 
face  as  he  saw,  just  beyond  the  turn  in  the  road,  the  lum- 
bering, commodious  stage-coach,  which  had  come  to  a 
standstill  scarcely  a  dozen  rods  ahead. 

He  turned  into  a  barren  field  and  cut  across  it,  his 
lagging  steps  clearing  the  winding  stretch  of  country. 

As  he  passed  the  fork  of  the  road  his  strength  gave 
out.  He  could  go  no  further,  A  mighty  cry  broke  from 
his  swollen  purple  lips.  He  threw  up  his  hands,  reeled, 
then  fell  like  one  dead  in  his  tracks. 

The  road  near  by  was  filled  with  dust,  and  when  the 
dense  clouds  had  cleared  away  some  one  within  the 
vehicle,  who  had  heard  his  cry,  discovered  him  and  told 
the  others. 

Several  of  the  passengers  quickly  descended  and  started 
to  his  assistance.  They  found  the  handsome,  desperate 
face  of  the  traveler  white  and  haggard  from  long  ex- 
posure. One  man  had  a  flask  of  brandy  in  his  breast- 
pocket. This  was  used  freely  in  restoring  him  to  con- 
sciousness. After  a  short  time  their  labor  and  patience 
were  rewarded.  The  light  of  reason  began  to  return  to 
him.  He  opened  his  eyes  and  looked  at  those  bending 
over  him,  murmuring  to  them  to  help  him  to  rise. 

They  raised  him  to  his  feet  and  half  carried  him  to  the 
stage-coach  near  by,  urging  him  to  take  a  little  needed 
rest  before  attempting  to  talk  with  them.  And  as  they 
arranged  outside  a  soft  seat  of  fur  skins  for  him,  they 
little  knew  how  much  they  owed  to  this  young  man's  un- 
wearied patience. 


310  CORA,  THE  PET  OF  THE  REGIMENT. 

When  he  had  recovered  sufficiently  he  leaned  forward 
and  gathered  the  people  around  him,  saying: 

"  I  am  glad  it  has  turned  out  so  well.  I  have  been  able 
to  save  you,  thank  God !  " 

"  You  are  a  stranger  in  our  midst ;  kindly  speak  a  lit- 
tle plainer  so  that  we  may  understand  you,"  answered 
one  of  the  party. 

"  If  I  had  not  got  here  as  soon  as  I  have  you  would 
all  have  perished,"  he  said,  faintly. 

A  sudden  fear  blanched  the  men's  cheeks,  and  they 
closed  about  him  eagerly,  plying  him  with  questions 
which  were  not  unmingled  with  suspicion. 

"  I  am  exhausted,  but  I  will  tell  you  what  brought  me 
here,  my  fellow-men,"  he  went  on,  hoarsely,  interestedly. 
"  I  must  first  go  back  to  when  this  stage-coach  left  the 
fort.  I  arrived  at  that  place  in  search  of  friends  I  had 
left,  a  few  hours  after  your  departure,  secured  a  horse, 
and  set  out  to  overtake  you,  and  to  take  passage  on  the 
coach,  if  possible.  But  my  horse  gave  out,  and  darkness 
overtook  me,  forcing  me  to  rest  under  shelter  of  the 
wood  until  dawn. 

"  As  I  lay  there  I  heard  the  approach  of  a  number  of 
men  with  their  horses,  and  I  knew  that  they  were  intend- 
ing to  camp  very  near  the  place  I  had  chosen  to  pass  the 
night. 

"  At  first  I  determined  to  mingle  with  them  and  tide 
over  a  tedious  hour  or  two,  but  as  they  broke  into  con- 
versation I  listened,  first  in  surprise,  and  afterward  in 
horror,  knowing  full  well  that  they  were  unaware  of  my 
presence. 

"  They  unfolded  one  of  the  most  diabolical  plots  to 
wreck  the  lives  of  human  beings  that  it  has  ever  been 
my  lot  to  hear." 


CORA,  THE  PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT.  211 

The  men  looked  from  one  to  the  other,  fairly  holding 
their  breath,  while  the  women,  who  had  remained  in  the 
coach,  which  was  a  few  yards  off,  wondered  at  the  little 
group,  and  still  more  so  at  the  deep  anxiety  that  was 
unmistakably  depicted  upon  their  half -averted  faces. 

"  I  soon  fotmd  out  that  they  were  an  organized  band 
of  plunderers,  calling  themselves  *  road  agents.'  I  learned 
that  they  were  on  the  trail  of  this  stage-coach,  which  they 
believed  was  carrying  a  large  number  of  valuable  express 
packages;  that  they  were  bent  upon  plunder,  and  even 
the  taking  of  life,  they  declared,  should  not  hinder  their 
wicked  purpose. 

They  listened  like  men  who  were  dumbfounded ;  then, 
realizing  the  awful  danger  from  which  he  had  saved  them, 
they  grasped  his  hands  and  wrung  them  in  grateful  ac- 
knowledgment too  deep  for  words. 

"  How  can  we  ever  hope  to  repay  you  ?  "  one  of  them 
found  voice  to  say.  "  We  owe  our  lives  to  job.  Let  us 
all  enter  the  coach,  and  rejoice  that  you  have  saved  us." 

"  Not  now,"  interposed  Arthur,  firmly.  "  We  have 
no  time  to  lose.  At  any  hour  they  may  be  »pon  us,  and 
attack  the  coach.  We  must  act,  men,  before  it  is  too 
late.  Marshal  your  forces  and  get  ready  your  arms  and 
ammunition.  Each  man  must  be  brave  of  heart  for  the 
sake  of  yonder  loved  ones,  whose  lives  and  honor  are 
now  in  our  hands !  " 

Arthur  Rollins'  commanding  voice  rang  oat  eloquently, 
moving  his  hearers  to  prompt  action.  Guns,  pistols,  and 
sabers  were  soon  put  in  readiness,  while  with  one  ac- 
cord the  men  besought  Arthur  to  be  their  leader  in  the 
impending  conflict. 

Arthur  did  not  enter  the  coach,  but  hurriedly  arranged 
every  precaution  for  defense,  first  stationing  guards  at 


212  CORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT. 

all  points  where  a  raid  would  be  imminent ;  next  burning 
the  long  grass  for  a  considerable  distance  around  the 
stage-coach ;  then  he  unchained  the  dogs,  that  would  scent 
the  enemy  afar  off;  and,  last  of  all,  he  sent  one  of  the 
party  to  warn  the  helpless  women  of  the  danger  that 
threatened  them. 

Darker  about  them  grew  the  shadows  of  night ;  not  a 
star  was  visible  in  the  heavens,  while  a  stillness  which 
seemed  to  bode  evil  hovered  round  the  anxious  watchers. 

Arthur's  suspicions  were  well  founded ;  for  scarcely 
had  the  midnight  hour  passed  when  the  sound  of  horses' 
hoofs  filled  the  air. 

Instantly  the  alarm  was  given,  and  the  little  band  of 
defenders  clutched  their  weapons  and  stood  ready  to 
face  death  unflinchingly. 

On  came  the  road  agents,  making  no  effort  to  conceal 
themselves,  until  at  last  they  were  in  full  view  of  the 
passengers. 

"  Lay  down  your  arms  and  surrender,  or  die!  "  shouted 
the  robbers,  fiercely. 

"  Never ! "  came  the  defiant  cry  from  a  dozen  sturdy 
throats. 

Then  commenced  one  of  the  most  fearful  scenes  of 
carnage  that  field  had  ever  known.  The  air  was  filled 
with  bullets  and  smoke,  mingled  with  the  groans  of  the 
fallen  bandits,  and  the  cries  of  a  few  of  the  coach  pas- 
sengers who  were  wounded,  but  not  seriously  enough  to 
prevent  their  doing  their  duty. 

Arthur  Rollins  was  in  the  thickest  of  the  fight.  The 
ammunition  of  his  party  seemed  to  be  giving  out  at  last. 
What  would  become  of  them  in  that  event? 

Suddenly,  in  the  midst  of  this  new  fear,  a  half  dozen 


CORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT.  213 

trappers  rushed  to  their  aid.    They  had  heard  the  firing, 
and  had  hastened  to  their  assistance. 

Another  horror  awaited  the  brave  Httle  band,  however. 
Several  of  the  foremost  bandits  threw  their  Hghted 
torches  upon  the  canvas-covered  stage-coach,  and  a 
mighty  blaze  started  up  which  threatened  to  destroy  it, 
with  all  it  contained! 


CHAPTER  LII. 

In  a  moment  the  wildest  and  most  intense  excitement 
prevailed.  The  lighted  torches  caught  at  the  varnished 
top  of  the  stage-coach,  in  an  instant  of  time  it  had  ignited, 
and  the  terrified  occupants  found  themselves  bound  in  by 
a  wall  of  living  flame. 

They  were  paralyzed  with  horror,  and  seemed  incapa- 
ble of  action. 

Suddenly  through  the  blinding  fire  a  man's  form  ap- 
peared, seized  Cora  quickly  in  his  arms,  and  darted 
through  the  smoke  again.  A  moment  later  the  rescuers 
had  succeeded  in  tearing  off  the  top  of  the  vehicle,  and 
the  occupants  were  saved.  Strong  arms  quickly  cleared 
the  fragments  of  fire,  scattering  them  right  and  left,  Ar- 
thur superintending  the  work.  In  ten  minutes'  time  all 
danger  was  over.  The  fire  had  been  extinguished,  the 
road  agents  had  been  vanquished. 

By  this  time  the  two  ladies  remaining  in  the  wagon  be- 
gan to  call  for  Cora. 


214  CORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT. 

"  Is  she  not  here  ? "  asked  Arthur  RolHns,  looking 
blankly  at  the  lady  inquiring  for  her. 

**  You  took  her  out  of  the  coach,"  said  the  lady. 

"  I  ?  "  cried  Arthur,  in  bewilderment ;  "  why,  what  can 
you  mean  ?  " 

"  In  the  excitement,  when  the  flames  were  thickest,  did 
you  not  rush  in  through  the  smoke  and  fire,  grasp  her 
in  your  arms,  and  bear  her  off  to  safety  ?  " 

"No!"  he  cried  in  a  voice  of  anguish;  adding  in  a 
tone  that  was  hardly  human :  "  One  of  the  road  agents 
must  have  abducted  her !  " 

The  cry  went  from  lip  to  lip ;  every  face  paled. 

"  Quick — to  horse !  "  cried  Arthur.  "  We  must  over- 
take them !  We  will  kill  every  man  of  them  unless  they 
deliver  her  to  us!  If  a  single  hair  of  her  head  has  been 
hurt,  we  will  show  them  no  mercy !  "  he  cried,  leaping 
on  his  steed  and  putting  spurs  to  him. 

Away  they  rushed  through  the  darkness  in  the  direc- 
tion the  bandits  had  taken.  The  stage-driver  and  his 
passengers  were  obliged  to  pursue  their  journey  without 
knowing  the  fate  of  sweet  little  Cora,  or  that  of  the 
brave  young  man  who  had  saved  their  lives,  and  who 
had  gone  back  into  the  very  jaws  of  death  with  the  six 
hardy  trappers  who  consented  to  join  him,  and  who  had 
aided  them  in  their  time  of  need. 

As  they  moved  away  from  the  scene,  they  sent  up  a 
prayer  to  Heaven  to  aid  them  in  their  search. 

The  old  stage-driver  saw  the  ladies  kneel  and  heard 
their  prayer,  and  he  shook  his  head. 

After  riding  mile  upon  mile  without  even  the  slightest 
clew  of  the  road  agents,  one  of  the  trappers  drew  rein. 

"  This  is  folly — it  is  useless  to  follow  up  tliis  pursuit, 


CORA,  THE  PET  OF  THE  REGIMENT.  215 

when  every  step  we  take  we  are  probably  going  miles 
away." 

"  If  you  wish  to  desert  me,  I  will  go  my  way  alone," 
said  Arthur,  wheeling  about  in  his  saddle. 

The  trappers  held  a  few  moments'  conversation  con- 
sulting with  each  other. 

"  We  shall  have  to  let  you  go  on  your  way,"  said  the 
leader  of  the  little  band ;  "  we  are  obliged  to  get  to  the 
fort.  We  have  saved  the  passengers  of  the  stage-coach 
by  responding  quickly  when  they  called  upon  us  for  help. 
We  can  not  lose  more  time  than  we  have  already  lost. 
Three  days  or  three  weeks  might  be  spent  in  running  the 
bandits  down.  In  all  probability  we  are  not  strong 
enough  to  overpower  them.  We  advise  you  not  to  risk 
your  own  life  in  what  seems  to  us  the  maddest  of  adven- 
tures.   Farewell,  young  man." 

"  Farewell !  "  said  Arthur,  bravely.  "  No  doubt  you 
mean  well  by  your  advice,  but  it  can  not  be.  I  will  not 
give  it  up  without — without  finding  the  girl,  if  it  is  in 
human  power !  " 

It  was  all  speculation  on  his  part  as  to  which  way  the 
road  agents  had  gone  with  Cora.  There  were  no  foot- 
prints on  the  sand  to  guide  him. 

As  the  trappers  had  said,  it  was  certainly  madness  for 
him  to  go  on  without  having  some  idea  as  to  whether 
he  was  right  or  wrong.  Cora  was  in  desperate  need  of 
his  aid ;  he  must  not  waste  any  time. 

Turning  his  horse  about,  he  retraced  his  steps  until 
he  overtook  the  trappers. 

"  I  have  been  thinking  your  advice  over,  gentlemen," 
he  said,  "  and  have  concluded  you  are  right.  I  can  not 
find  the  young  lady  unless  you  aid  me.  Whatever  you 
think  is  the  wisest  plan,  I  will  submit  to." 


216  CXttlA,   THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT. 

"  You  have  come  to  a  very  proper  decision,"  they  all 
agreed.  "  We  were  talking  the  matter  over  after  you 
left  us,  and  we  all  concluded  that  we  would  not  give  up 
the  search  if  we  could  find  the  least  possible  trail  to  work 
on. 

Arthur  grasped  their  extended  hands  in  thankfulness. 

"  Together  we  stand,  divided  we  fall,"  he  murmured. 
"  I  will  trust  to  you  to  aid  me — to  lay  out  a  plan  without 
delay  that  will  prove  successful." 

"  There  is  not  very  much  use  in  undertaking  anything 
until  daylight  to-morrow,"  said  one  of  the  men.  "  I  have 
an  idea — mind,  I  call  it  an  idea.  I  will  lay  it  before  you 
and  see  what  you  think  of  it,  boys.  Years  ago  I  knew 
the  leader  of  the  road  agents.  I  knew  his  habits,  I  knew 
his  ways  of  life.  I  am  sure  it  is  he  who  has  kidnapped 
beautiful  little  Cora  Ormsby.  He  would  not  be  likely  to 
take  her  to  the  rendezvous  where  his  rude  followers 
await  him,  but  to  a  certain  traders'  post,  where  he  thinks 
his  true  character  is  not  known.  He  would  make  up 
some  kind  of  a  plausible  tale — say  that  the  girl  was  his 
sweetheart,  has  now  become  insane,  or  something  like 
that.  He  would  actually  make  them  believe  him  if  he 
could.    I  should  look  there  for  him  first." 

"If  that  is  the  case,  I  think  you  are  quite  right,"  de- 
clared Arthur.  "  Search  had  better  be  made  there  first. 
We  will  go  there,  one  at  a  time,  and  invent  a  suitable 
excuse  to  gain  access  to  the  place." 

"  Not  so,"  returned  the  other.  "  I  think  we  had  bet- 
ter go  direct  to  the  post  and  tell  them  why  we  wish  to 
remain.    The  traders  are  our  friends." 

Arthur  readily  acquiesced  to  this. 

"  Of  course  it  is  mere  supposition  on  my  part  that  he 


CX)RA,   THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT.  217 

has  taken  her  there.  We  can  only  hope  that  we  are  on  the 
right  trail." 

They  rode  on  in  silence,  mile  after  mile.  Suddenly 
an  exclamation  broke  from  Arthur's  lips, 

"  Look ! "  he  cried,  pointing  to  some  tracks  in  the 
sand.    "  I  think  we  have  struck  the  trail  at  last." 

"  Sure  enough !  "  echoed  one  of  the  others.  "  These 
tracks  were  certainly  made  by  the  horse  of  one  of  the 
fleeing  road  agents.  Their  horses  are  never  shod.  He 
t'las  not  gone  to  the  trading  post  of  which  I  spoke,  I  see. 
He  has  gone  directly  across  the  plains.  In  that  case  we 
can  overtake  him  without  much  difficulty." 

Arthur'r  face  flushed  with  hope.  Without  another 
'tvord,  ec.ch  man  wheeled  his  horse  quickly  about,  and 
away  they  flew  over  the  plains  without  an  instant's  loss 
of  time. 

"  Aha !  "  at  length  cried  one  of  the  men ;  "  unless  I  am 
very  much  mistaken,  I  see  them  in  the  distance." 

The  men  put  spurs  to  their  horses  and  followed  in  hot 
pursuit,  the  dark  object  ahead  of  them  faintly  outlined 
against  the  horizon. 

As  the  moments  flew  by  they  noticed  with  satisfaction 
that  they  were  gaining  upon  the  road  agent.  They  were 
now  so  near  that  they  could  easily  discern  the  figure  of 
the  man.    He  held  the  girl  before  him  on  the  saddle. 

"I  feel  just  like  shooting  him  down!"  cried  Arthur, 
huskily.    "  What  do  you  say,  gentlemen?" 

"  That  it  would  be  very  unwise,"  replied  one.  "  The 
bullet  might  miss  its  mark  and  strike  the  young  lady 
whom  you  wish  to  save." 

"  Yes,  yes,"  murmured  Arthur ;  "  you  are  right.  I 
dare  not  risk  it." 

At  length  the  clatter  of  their  horses'  hoofs  fell  upon 


218  CORA,   THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT. 

the  ears  of  the  fleeing  bandit.  He  turned  in  his  saddle 
and  looked  over  his  shoulder,  and  a  mocking  laugh  fell 
from  his  lips.  He  drew  rein  and  waited  until  they  were 
within  hearing  distance,  when  he  cried: 

"  Advance  another  step  at  your  peril !    If  you  do,  I  will 
shoot  the  girl !  " 


CHAPTER  LHI. 

The  threat  which  the  bandit  made  fairly  paralyzed 
Arthur  for  a  moment.  He  knew  that  he  was  dealing  with 
a  desperate  character,  and  he  dared  not  risk  the  conse- 
quences. 

The  road  agent  saw  his  advantage  and  followed  it  up. 

"  Turn,  every  one  of  you !  "  he  cried.  "  Advance  a 
step  nearer,  and  I  will  send  a  bullet  through  the  girl's 
heart." 

A  hoarse  cry  broke  from  Arthur's  lips. 

God !  what  should  he  do  ?  He  dared  not  imperil  Cora's 
life,  and  yet  he  could  not  retreat. 

In  an  instant  an  idea  occurred  to  Arthur.  Why  not 
beat  the  road  agent  by  strategy. 

"  I'll  use  the  very  means  that  the  road  agents  have  done 
when  they  made  their  attack  on  the  stage-coach." 

"  We  will  surround  the  man,"  whispered  his  compan- 
ion ;  "  each  one  of  us  will  separate  and  ride  off,  and  all 
meet  at  last  together  in  a  circle  round  him." 

"  The  very  thing !  "  returned  one  of  the  trappers.  "  Ch>* 
would  imagine  you  were  an  old  scout,  to  think  of  such  a 
ruse." 


CORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT.  219 

"  You  are  going  to  stand  by  me,  boys  ?  "  he  said,  husk- 
ily, riding  between  them,  and  laying  a  hand  on  each  arm. 

"  Oh,  yes,"  they  said,  "  we  will  stand  by  you  to  the 
death,  if  need  be." 

An  expression  of  great  relief  crossed  his  features. 

"  It  is  likely  that  he  will  change  his  route  quickly," 
said  one  of  the  men,  pointing  to  the  retreating  road  agent. 

At  that  instant  the  report  of  a  fire-arm  fell  distinctly 
upon  their  ears.  Wheeling  their  horses  about,  they  saw 
a  dark  object  fall  from  the  horse. 

"  The  fiend  has  killed  her !  "  shrieked  Arthur,  standing 
up  in  his  saddle.  "  She  has  fallen !  He  has  put  spurs  to 
his  horse !  " 

Before  any  one  could  prevent  him,  he  drew  his  rifle, 
and  a  bullet  went  flying  after  the  swiftly  disappearing 
road  agent  who  was  seated  on  his  horse. 

"  I  think  I  have  hit  him !  "  cried  Arthur,  "  though  he 
still  rides  on." 

As  the  trappers  rode  up  to  the  fallen  figure,  they  fairly 
caught  their  breath  in  wonder.  It  was  the  road  agent, 
and  not  the  girl  who  was  lying  there. 

"  My  revolver  went  oflF  accidentally,"  he  moaned,  "  and 
I  am  done  for  at  last.  I  had  the  girl  strapped  on  in  front. 
My  horse  is  running  away,  and  he  will  dash  her  to  pieces 
ere  consciousness  returns,  and  she  be  able  to  manage 
him.  Quick!  after  her,  some  of  you,  if  you  would  save 
her !  " 

Arthur  needed  no  second  bidding.  Given  free  rein, 
they  all  knew  that  the  horse  would  return  to  the  camp 
of  the  road  agents,  taking  with  him  his  helpless  victim, 
who  was  powerless  to  extricate  herself  frcwn  the  thongs 
which  bound  her. 


220  CORA,   THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT. 

This  was  a  new  terror  to  the  trappers.  They  must 
bend  every  energy  to  overtake  the  horse  and  its  rider. 

The  faster  they  rode  the  faster  the  horse  on  ahead 
galloped.  It  seemed  impossible  to  overtake  the  horse, 
which  was  certainly  a  good  one  of  its  kind. 

There  was  but  one  course  left — to  shout  to  Cora,  trust- 
ing to  Heaven  that  she  would  hear  and  recognize  his 
voice. 

This  he  did,  but  it  was  useless — useless.  The  wind 
was  in  the  opposite  direction,  and  carried  the  sound 
of  his  voice  away  from  her.  He  was  in  despair.  There 
was  yet  one  thing  left  for  him  to  do,  and  that  was  to  shoot 
down  the  horse.  He  raised  his  hand,  but  it  was  unsteady, 
and  he  dared  not  pull  the  trigger. 

"  Hold ! "  shouted  the  trappers,  lustily,  as  they  over- 
took him.  "  Do  not  fire !  We  have  something  better  to 
propose." 

"  In  God's  name,  speak  quickly ! "  cried  Arthur, 
hoarsely.    "  Every  instant  imperils  both  her  and  us." 

"  The  girl  can  not  hear  your  cries.  She  has  swooned — 
almost  any  one  could  tell  that." 

Each  moment  the  situation  was  becoming  more  des- 
perate. 

"  Whatever  is  done  must  be  done  at  once !  "  shouted 
one  of  the  trappers  to  Arthur.  "  Fire  at  the  horse,  and 
take  the  chances.  The  young  lady  had  better  be  dead 
than  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  merciless  men  who  form 
that  band.  Three  minutes  more  of  that  gait  and  she 
will  be  in  their  midst.  They  outnumber  us  ten  to  one. 
We  will  all  be  captured.    Shoot  down  the  horse,  I  say !  " 

Without  another  word,  Arthur  a  second  time  raised 
his  rifle  in  his  trembling  hand.  He  tried  to  utter  a  prayer, 
but  the  words  died  on  his  lips.     He  took  aim  and  fired. 


CORA,   THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT.  221 

When  the  smoke  cleared  away  a  shout  rose  from  his 
companions.  The  horse  had  fallen.  If  the  girl  was  not 
injured  by  the  fall  all  would  be  well. 

At  that  moment,  from  an  opposite  direction,  they  saw 
a  cloud  of  dust.  They  had  been  too  late ;  the  road  agents 
had  heard  the  commotion  from  their  camp,  and  had 
started  out  to  investigate  the  matter.  They  would  reach 
the  girl  before  they  could  gain  her  side,  that  was  clearly 
apparent. 

*'  The  man  riding  ahead  is  a  desperate  character,"  mut- 
tered one  of  the  trappers.  "  I  know  him  well.  He  is  a 
brother  of  one  of  your  captains  back  there  at  Fort  Had- 
ley;  his  name  is  Lindsay." 

"One  of  the  road  agents  is  a  brother  of  Lindsay?" 
cried  Arthur,  aghast.  "  Which  is  he  ?  Cora  Ormsby 
must  never  fall  into  his  hands.  I  would  kill  both  her  and 
myself  first.  He  would  capture  her.  He  knows  that  his 
brother  loves  her  ?  " 

It  seemed  to  Arthur  that  the  bitterness  of  this  last 
blow  was  more  than  he  could  bear.  His  hand  trembled  so 
violently  that  he  could  not  hold  the  reins,  and  they  fell 
from  his  grasp  upon  the  animal's  neck. 

It  was  a  lucky  movement;  for  the  horse,  freed  from 
the  restraint  of  the  bit,  seemed  to  gather  himself  together 
again,  and  sprung  forward,  fairly  leaping  over  the 
ground. 

Thus  Arthur  and  the  road  agent,  with  the  others  at 
their  heels,  reached  Cora's  side  at  the  self -same  moment. 

"  Stop !  "  thundered  Arthur,  as  the  bandit  leaped  from 
his  saddle.    "  Attempt  to  touch  that  girl,  and  I  fire !  " 

The  road  agent  had  quickly  grasped  the  situation.  He 
knew  that  his  brother  had  gone  to  overtake  the  stage- 
coach.   When  his  horse  came  back  with  the  girl  strapped 


223  CORA,  THE  PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT. 

to  the  saddle,  he  argued  to  himself  that  there  was  cer- 
tainly something  amiss.  The  girl  must  be  taken  prisoner 
at  all  hazards,  as  well  as  the  trappers  who  were  so  fool- 
hardy as  to  force  their  way  into  their  retreat. 

With  a  mocking  laugh,  he  raised  his  rifle. 

"  Every  man  of  you  draw  rein !  "  he  cried. 

As  he  uttered  the  words,  a  score  or  more  of  the  ban- 
dits burst  into  view  from  the  rear. 

"  You  want  to  show  fight,  eh  ?  "  continued  the  road 
agent,  addressing  Arthur.  "  Well,  we'll  see  what  can  be 
done  to  accommodate  you." 

At  the  same  moment  he  discharged  the  contents  of  his 
rifle  full  at  Arthur. 

With  a  cry  and  groan  the  hapless  young  man  reeled 
and  fell  from  his  saddle,  the  blood  flowing  from  a  wound 
in  his  side. 

As  it  was  useless  for  them  to  remain  and  give  battle, 
the  trappers  did  the  wisest  thing  they  could  do  under 
the  circumstances — they  beat  a  hasty  retreat,  the  road 
agents  following  them,  yelling  like  demons. 

It  was  fully  a  week  afterward  ere  Arthur  opened  his 
eyes  to  a  knowledge  of  what  was  transpiring  around 
him. 

To  his  great  amazement,  he  found  himself  face  to  face 
with  Captain  Lindsay. 

"  So  you  won't  die  for  pure  spite,  eh  ?  "  cried  the  cap- 
tain, ironically.  "  Well,  I  might  have  helped  you  '  shuf- 
fle off  this  mortal  coil '  during  the  last  two  days ;  but  I 
concluded  to  let  you  live  and  be  a  witness  of  what  is  tak- 
ing place. 

"  I  see  through  the  whole  thing.  You  took  Cora 
Ormsby  from  me  at  the  very  altar,  and  you  both  boarded 
a  stage-coach  together,  a  few  miles  further  on.     I  sent 


CORA^  THE  PET  OF  THE  REGIMENT,  223 

word  to  my  brother,  and  he  planned  a  raid  on  the  coach. 
How  you  escaped  him  in  the  darkness  no  one  will  ever 
know  save  yourself.  I  came  on  to  take  possession  of  the 
beautiful  little  Cora. 

"  You  thought  you  would  play  me  a  nice  trick  by 
forcing  me  into  a  marriage  with  another  girl.  Ah !  yoq 
may  look  amazed,  if  you  like,  pretending  you  do  no{ 
know  anything  about  it ;  but  you  can  not  deceive  me. 

"  I  could  have  put  you  out  of  the  way  while  you  were 
unconscious,  but  I  concluded  to  have  a  better  revenge, 
'As  soon  as  you  are  sufficiently  recovered  to  leave  this 
room,  you  shall  be  forced  to  witness  my  marriage  with 
Cora,  whom  I  have,  safe  and  sound,  under  this  very 
roof.  I  snap  my  fingers  at  the  other  marriage.  I  shall 
marry  Cora  and  take  her  far  away  from  this  place." 


CHAPTER  LIV. 

Arthur  Rollins  repressed  the  groan  that  rose  to  his 
lips.  He  would  not  let  his  enemy  see  how  the  words 
cut  him  to  the  very  heart.  He  would  marry  Cora,  in 
spite  of  all — that's  what  Captain  Lindsay  had  said;  and 
Arthur  knew  that  he  would  keep  his  vow  if  it  was  within 
human  power. 

"  I  always  thought  you  were  a  fiend  incarnate,"  he 
said,  huskily ;  "  now  I  know  it !  " 

Let  us  return  to  Cora  when  she  was  a  passenger  on 
the  stage-coach  in  that  never-to-be-forgotten  hour. 

Amid  the  handful  of  fighting  defenders  that  surrounded 


224  CX)RA,  THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT. 

the  stage-coach,  Cora's  strained  eyes  fell  upon  one  who 
was  commanding  the  heroic  little  band.  She  saw  that  he 
was  making  superhuman  efforts  to  baffle  the  enemy  and 
bring  safety  to  the  imperiled  ones,  even  at  the  cost  of  his 
own  life. 

Her  face  grew  deathly  pale  at  sight  of  the  familiar 
form,  and  a  swift  light  flashed  into  the  eyes  that  were 
scanning  the  young  soldier  so  closely. 

"Oh,  Arthur,  it  is  you!"  she  moaned,  wildly — "you 
have  come  to  protect  me  in  this  deadly  peril !  " 

The  firing  of  the  enemy  and  the  discharge  of  an- 
swering bullets  drowned  her  voice  with  its  piteous  cries. 

"  They  are  coming  rapidly  close  to  Arthur !  "  she 
screamed,  wringing  her  hands,  and  tottering  to  the  edge 
of  the  coach  in  awful  despair.  "  He  must  not  risk  his 
Hfe;  he  must  retreat!  I  could  not  live  if  they  killed 
him!" 

A  shiver  ran  over  her  slight  frame  as  she  saw  them 
fling  their  torches  on  the  stage-coach,  then  turn  and 
beat  a  retreat,  with  the  brave  men  firing  volleys  of  shot 
in  the  direction  which  they  had  fled. 

"  Arthur,  come,  you  have  saved  us  I  "  she  cried  out, 
brokenly. 

The  next  instant  she  had  made  her  way  unobserved 
out  of  the  rear  of  the  coach,  and  was  crouching  upon  the 
ground,  groping  along  slowly  in  the  direction  where  she 
had  last  seen  Arthur's  form. 

Cora  closed  her  eyes  for  an  instant  to  shut  out  the 
sight  of  the  leaping  flames. 

Like  one  in  a  dream,  she  attempted  to  breast  the  fiery 
sea  and  plunge  to  Arthur's  side,  but  she  found  herself 
imprisoned  in  a  wall  of  flame. 

One  moment,  one  brief  moment  more  of  suspense,  and 


CORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT.  226 

then  a  step  sounded  near  by.  Some  one  had  seen  her 
peril  and  had  come  to  her  rescue  before  it  was  too  late. 
Some  one  was  by  her  side — ^the  short,  stout  figure  of  a 
man,  with  a  dark  slouch  hat  drawn  over  his  face,  con- 
cealing his  features.  He  wrapped  a  shawl  about  her. 
lA.  pair  of  stout  arms  held  her  closely,  and  she  felt  herself 
borne  swiftly  away  in  an  opposite  direction  from  the 
burning  stage-coach — further  and  further  away  into  the 
night  and  the  darkness. 

He  mounted  a  horse  which  was  in  waiting,  and,  de- 
spite her  frantic  efforts  to  free  herself,  they  traveled  fur- 
ther away  from  the  exciting  scene,  on  through  the  heart 
of  the  forest,  finally  emerging  into  a  well-traversed  road 
that  led  to  the  nearest  traders'  post. 

As  soon  as  she  could  tear  off  the  shawl  that  enveloped 
her  head,  she  cried  out  to  stop,  her  little  hands  tugging 
desperately  at  the  reins. 

The  bandit  paid  no  heed  to  her  tearful  entreaties  to 
stop,  but  urged  the  steed  onward,  cursing  and  warning 
the  girl  to  desist.  And  thus  the  first  hour  passed  that 
followed  the  thrilling  scene. 

Maddened  and  terrified  by  the  awful  peril  that  sur- 
rounded her,  Cora  made  one  more  desperate  effort  to 
release  herself. 

In  an  unguarded  moment  the  poor  girl  sprung  forward, 
and  attempted  to  leap  to  the  ground  over  which  they  were 
swiftly  flying. 

The  bandit  realized  that  she  was  slipping  from  him, 
and  in  an  instant  of  time  a  new  resolve  came  to  him. 

It  was  net  safe  to  run  any  further  risk.  He  must 
secure  the  girl  more  firmly  or  perhaps  lose  her. 

There  was  rot  an  instant  to  be  lost,  he  told  himself. 

"  We  will  halt  here,  my  young  lady,"  he  said,  mock- 


226  CORA,   THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT. 

ingly,  "  and  I  will  arrange  your  mode  of  travel  a  little 
differently." 

"  Take  me  to  my  home,"  she  pleaded,  "  and  I  will 
never  cease  to  thank  you,  and  forgive  your  cowardly  act." 

"  I  have  had  too  much  trouble  in  securing  you  to  do 
so  foolish  a  thing,"  he  answered,  firmly. 

"  There  is  only  one  motive,  my  pretty  young  lady," 
he  answered,  with  a  poor  attempt  at  chivalry.  "  Your 
face  has  moved  my  heart  with  its  fatal  beauty,  until  I 
longed  to  capture  you.  My  sole  object  is  to  make  you 
my  bride,  which  I  intend  to  do  just  as  soon  as  we  reach 
yon  trading  post,  which  is  not  two  miles  distant.  If  you 
consent  to  marry  me  without  making  an  unpleasant  scene, 
you  will  be  glad  in  the  end.  You  will  have  all  the  love 
and  riches  which  a  bandit  can  give  you.  There  is  good 
blood  running  through  my  veins.  I  am  the  only  brother 
of  Captain  Lindsay,  now  stationed  at  Fort  Hadley." 

"  How  cruel  and  wicked  you  are  to  snatch  me  from 
my  friends,  and  from  one  whom  I  love  better  than  my 
own  life.  Nothing  you  can  say  or  do  will  ever  make 
me  become  your  wife.  I  would  die  on  the  rack  first.  If 
there  is  one  spark  of  human  feeling  or  of  pity  in  your 
heart,  I  beg  that  you  will  release  me.  You  will  find  me 
unflinching  in  my  hatred  toward  you.  I  will  never  live  to 
be  your  bride,  mark  my  words.  I  despise  you,  your  face 
is  an  insult  to  me ;  even  your  voice  I  loath  beyond  words, 
for  your  cowardice." 

As  they  galloped  along,  and  came  in  sight  of  the  post 
at  length,  Cora  tried  to  scream,  to  cry  out.  Her  ashen 
lips  parted,  but  no  sound  came  from  them.  The  faintness 
of  death  seemed  to  envelop  her;  she  felt  that  she  could 
hold  out  no  longer;  merciful  unconsciousness  was  fast 
stealing  over  her. 


CORA,  THE  PET  OF  THE  REGIMEIWT.  92^ 

When  she  opened  her  eyes  to  what  was  going  on  around 
her,  she  found  herself  resting  upon  a  coucJi,  with  Captain 
Lindsay  sitting  by  smoking  a  cigar. 

"  I  wish  you  a  very  good-day,  Miss  Ormsby,"  he  said, 
as  she  started  to  her  feet  with  a  low  cry.  "After  play- 
ing that  very  nice  little  trick  upon  me,  you  fled  from  me 
with  your  lover's  connivance ;  but  you  see  I  have  captured 
you  after  alL  You  are  at  my  mercy,  and  furthermore, 
your  handsome  Mr.  Rollins,  too,  is  at  my  mercy,  a  pris- 
oner in  this  camp.  I  have  just  left  him,  after  informing 
him  that  he  is  soon  to  witness  my  marriage  with  you. 
The  agony  on  his  face  was  a  glorious  revenge  to  me,  for 
he  loves  you.  He  cried  out  that  death  would  be  easier 
for  him  to  bear  than  that." 

He  was  startled  and  amazed  to  hear  Cora  exclaim: 

"  HeavcB  be  praised ! — Arthur  loves  me  still !  " 


CHAPTER  LV. 

He  left  the  tent;  but  there  was  a  look  om  his  face  as 
he  turned  away  that  haunted  Cora. 

Where  was  she  ?  she  wondered,  struggling  weakly  upon 
her  elbow.  She  knew  that  she  was  in  the  hands  of  the 
road  agents ;  but  she  must  make  her  escape- 
Surely  the  people  in  the  stage-coach  would  soon  miss 
her,  band  together,  and  make  a  search  for  her.  But 
Arthur,  her  brave  and  noble  defender,  who  had  done  his 
best  to  save  her  and  the  stage-coach  passengers,  ah! 
"where  was  he? 


228  CORA,   THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT. 

Was  it  indeed  true  that  he  had  fallen  a  victim  to  them  ? 
She  would  not  believe  that  they  had  captured  him  until 
the  last  moment. 

While  she  was  pondering  over  the  matter,  there  was  a 
slight  commotion  outside  the  tent. 

"  You  can  not  come  in !  "  cried  Cora.    "  Stay  out !  " 

"  I  am  sorry  to  disobey  a  lady's  commands,"  returned 
Captain  Lindsay's  voice  from  without,  "  but  in  this  case 
it  can  not  be  helped." 

He  swept  back  the  folds  of  canvas  that  served  as  a 
door-way,  and  entered  the  tent.  Cora's  eyes  dilated  with 
anger ;  she  was  white  to  the  lips. 

How  dared  he  intrude  like  this?  She  felt  the  inse- 
curity of  her  position,  and  was  filled  with  a  nameless 
terror. 

"  I  want  you  to  come  to  the  door  of  the  tent,"  he  said. 
"  There  is  a  sight  here  that  may  possibly  interest  you." 

"  Nothing  could  interest  me ! "  exclaimed  the  girl, 
haughtily. 

"  Suspend  your  opinion  until  you  have  seen,"  he  ex- 
claimed, fairly  dragging  her  out  of  the  tent.  "Look!" 
he  cried,  exultantly,  turning  her  sharply  about.  "  I  told 
you  that  I  could  show  you  something  that  would  perhaps 
make  you  change  your  opinion  in  regard  to  your  mar- 
rying me." 

One  glance,  and  it  seemed  to  Cora  that  the  blood  had 
left  her  body.  Scarcely  a  dozen  rods  from  where  she 
stood  she  beheld  Arthur  Rollins. 

Yes,  it  was  Arthur,  bound  firmly  to  a  tree  with  heavy 
thongs,  and  but  a  few  feet  from  him  were  two  men 
with  their  rifles  pointed  directly  at  his  heart. 

"  Hush !  Do  not  scream  or  cry  out,"  commanded  Cap- 
tain Lindsay ;  "  if  you  do,  they  will  fire  on  the  instant. 


CORA,   THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT.  229 

Otherwise,  they  will  await  my  command.  One  word 
from  you  will  save  Arthur  Rollins'  life ;  refuse,  and  his 
life  shall  pay  the  forfeit.  You  have  but  five  minutes  to 
make  up  your  mind.  If  you  say,  '  Yes,'  the  ceremony  will 
be  performed  here  and  now ;  if  you  say  *  No,'  I  will 
simply  give  the  order  to  fire,  and  I  shall  force  you  to  wit- 
ness it." 

"  Oh,  no,  no,  no !  "  cried  the  girl ;  "  you  could  not  be 
so  inhuman !  You  will  not  force  me  to  do  anything  like 
that!" 

"  I  do  not  wish  you  to  witness  it ;  it  will  be  your  own 
desire  if  you  do.  You  can  save  him  if  you  will,  or  exe- 
cute him  if  you  desire.  It  all  rests  with  you,  my  dear 
girl." 

It  seemed  to  Cora  that  she  was  dying.  Had  this  man 
no  mercy,  no  pity? 

He  took  out  a  cigar  and  lighted  it,  flung  away  the 
burned-out  match,  then,  with  a  nonchalance  which  drove 
her  to  desperation,  he  took  out  his  watch. 

Her  eyes  followed  the  movement  with  a  pent-up  agony 
that  was  too  great  for  words. 

She  tried  to  cry  out,  but  her  lips  made  no  sound.  She 
seemed  to  realize  that  time  was  passing. 

One,  two,  three  minutes  sped  by  on  lightning  wings — 
four  minutes!  Oh,  death  in  life!  Was  there  anything 
more  pitiful  to  bear  than  the  awful  suspense — the  horri- 
ble tortvire  which  was  killing  her  by  degrees? 

"  One-half  minute  more,"  said  Captain  Lindsay,  delib- 
erately;  "  if  you  have  anything  to  say,  say  it  quickly." 

"Save  him — oh,  save  him,  at  any  cost!"  screamed 
Cora,  wildly.  "  I — I  will  marry  you,  you  inhuman  tor- 
turer, if  that  will  buy  him  life !  " 

"  Lower  your  weapons,  gentlemen ;  the  captive  is  res- 


230  CORA,  THE  PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT. 

pited,"  called  Captain  Lindsay,  in  an  authoritative  voice. 
"  He  owes  his  life  to  you,  my  dear  Cora,"  he  said.  "  He 
should  thank  Heaven  for  sending  him  in  his  hour  of 
need  so  valiant  a  friend  as  you  proved  yourself  to  be. 
You  know  the  remainder  of  the  proviso — and  that  is, 
that  you  marry  me  on  the  spot." 

Cora  tried  to  utter  a  single  word,  but  all  utterance 
failed  her  entirely. 

For  his  sake  she  would  endure  everything. 

Another  gaze,  that  seemed  to  carry  her  soul  with  it, 
and  she  turned  away,  Captain  Lindsay  escorting  her 
back  to  the  tent. 

"  One  hour  from  now,"  he  said,  as  she  passed  within. 
"  Does  that  suit  you,  Cora  ?  " 

"  Go  away  I  "  she  cried  out,  haughtily.  "  Why  are 
you  pacing  up  and  down  before  the  tent?  " 

"  My  object  should  certainly  be  apparent  to  you,"  he 
answered,  calmly.  "  On  the  other  occasion  when  you 
were  to  have  wedded  me  you  played  a  most  cruel  prank 
upon  me.    If  you  want  anything,  call  me." 

Captain  Lindsay  threw  himself  down  full  length,  and 
gave  himself  up  to  brilliant  plans  for  the  future. 

He  never  could  tell  afterward  just  how  it  came  about 
— his  head  sunk  lower  on  his  arm,  his  eyes  drooped,  the 
world  seemed  to  fade  slowly  from  him,  and  one  of  the 
men  who  was  passing  by  a  few  moments  later  noticed 
that  Captain  Lindsay  was  sound  asleep. 

Arthur  Rollins  saw  it,  too,  from  the  tree  to  which  he 
was  bound. 

Ah,  if  he  could  but  rescue  Cora!  The  very  thought 
seemed  to  rend  his  soul  from  his  body.  The  man  who 
stood  a  few  feet  from  him,  watching  him  intently, 
broke  the  awful  stillness  at  length  by  saying: 


CX)RA,  THE  PET  OF  THE  REGIMENT.  231 

"  I  feel  sorry  for  you,  young  fellow.  It's  a  mighty 
hard  thing  to  be  tied  to  a  tree  and  watch  the  ceremony 
which  makes  the  girl  you  love  the  wife  of  another  man, 
being  powerless  to  help  it." 

"  Yes,  it  is  more  terrible  than  death,"  said  Arthur. 
Strong  man  as  he  was,  his  lips  quivered,  and  the  tears 
he  could  not  well  restrain  came  to  his  eyes.  "  Is  there 
not  some  way  that  you  could  help  me  to  escape,"  whis- 
pered Arthur,  "  and — and  aid  me  to  take  that  young  girl 
with  me?" 

The  man  shook  his  head. 

"  I  would  not  dare  do  it !  "  he  exclaimed.  "  My  own 
life  would  pay  the  penalty  if  I  did.  But  111  tell  you 
what  I'll  do." 


CHAPTER  LVI. 

Arthur  Rollins  leaned  forward  with  breathless  in- 
tensity. 

"  I  will  tell  you  what  I  can  do  to  help  you,"  said  the 
man ;  "  I  can  assist  that  young  girl  in  leaving  that  tent, 
if  that  will  be  any  good,  as  she  could  walk  right  over 
Captain  Lindsay's  body,  and  he'd  never  know  it,  he  sleeps 
so  soundly.  The  only  trouble  is,  that  the  rest  of  the 
men  would  know  it.  You  see,  I  don't  like  this  kind  of 
business,  stranger.  I  was  pressed  into  this  business  by 
the  road  agents,  because  I  was  useful  to  them.  I  mean 
to  break  away  at  the  earliest  opportunity." 

"  Help  her,  and  Heaven  will  reward  you ! "  cried  Ar- 


232  CORA,  THE  PET  OF  THE  REGIMENT. 

thur.  "  If  I  knew  that  that  sweet  young  girl  was  out 
of  danger,  I  can  tell  you  that  it  would  matter  little  what 
became  of  me.  Why,  I  would  give  a  hundred  lives,  if  I 
had  them,  to  save  her,  she  is  so  dear  to  me !  " 

A  moment  later  the  young  road  agent  had  circled  the 
ground  all  unnoticed  by  his  companions,  until  he  found 
himself  in  the  rear  of  the  tent  which  Captain  Lindsay 
was  guarding. 

Dropping  quickly  upon  his  hands  and  knees,  he  raised 
one  little  corner  of  the  tent,  whispering  at  the  same  time 
fai  a  low,  shrill  voice : 

"  Hush !  Do  not  cry  out,  Miss  Ormsby ;  I  am  your 
friend !  " 

Cora  watched  the  brown  hand  in  terror  too  great  for 
words. 

What  did  it  mean?  Was  this  a  friend  or  foe  who 
cautioned  her  not  to  cry  out?  She  was  surrounded  by 
so  many  foes  that  she  distrusted  every  one  around  her. 

"  I  would  like  to  have  you  come  closer,  please.  I  have 
a  message  to  give  you  from  Mr.  Arthur  Rollins.  I  am 
his  friend  and  yours — ^you  may  believe  me.  Have  no 
fear,  lady.  You  must  come  nearer,  that  I  may  whisper 
my  message,"  he  went  on.  "  Remember  that  I  will  do 
you  no  harm." 

Slowly,  with  a  palpitating  heart,  Cora  crept  toward 
the  opening,  fairly  holding  her  breath  in  terror. 

"  Take  this  bundle,"  went  on  the  same  voice  from  the 
outside,  "  and  array  yourself  in  these  clothes ;  they  are 
mine.  When  you  are  ready,  call  me ;  but  remember  that 
every  moment  is  precious." 

Ten  minutes,  and  the  answer  came  back : 

"  I — I  have  done  as  you  directed  me." 


CORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT.  233 

A  sharp  knife  quickly  pierced  the  canvas  of  the  tent, 
and  the  next  instant  an  aperture  was  made  that  was  large 
enough  to  admit  of  her  passing  through  it. 

"  Good !  "  cried  the  young  man  when  his  eyes  fell  on 
her — "  you  look  so  much  like  one  or  two  of  the  boys  who 
often  come  here,  that  you  will  have  no  difficulty  in  pass- 
ing as  one  or  other  of  them." 

"  But,  Arthur,"  cried  Cora,  in  dismay,  "  what  has  be- 
come of  him?  Where  is  hef  Have  you  already  helped 
him  to  get  away  from  these  terrible  people?  " 

"  I — I  dare  not !  "  murmured  the  young  man,  repeating 
the  words.    "  If  I  did,  my  life  would  pay  the  forfeit." 

"  Then  I  will  share  his  fate,"  cried  Cora.  "  Oh,  sir,  if 
you  would  be  kind  to  us  two,  let  us  both  die  in  each 
other's  arms  and  end  all  our  misery." 

He  shook  his  head. 

"  Go !  "  he  exclaimed,  "  while  there  is  an  opportunity 
for  you  to  gain  your  freedom;  make  the  most  of  it,  I 
say!" 

At  that  same  moment  Cora's  eyes  fell  upon  Arthur, 
who  was  still  bound  securely  to  the  tree. 

Quick  as  thought  an  idea  came  to  her.  Like  a  flash 
she  caught  up  the  knife  which  the  young  man  had  used 
to  make  the  opening  in  the  tent,  and  in  a  trice  she  was 
at  Arthur's  side,  and  the  cruel  thongs  were  severed. 

The  young  road  agent  fairly  gasped  for  breath  as  he 
saw  Arthur  leap  to  the  girl's  side. 

They  would  surely  tie  him  to  the  stake  in  Rollins* 
place,  and  in  less  time  than  it  takes  to  tell  it,  his  body 
would  be  riddled  with  bullets. 

He  did  not  take  an  instant  longer  to  consider  his  posi- 
tion; he  dared  not  make  an  outcry,  and  he  would  not 
if  he  could. 


234  CX)RAj   THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT. 

There  was  but  one  course  to  pursue,  and  that  was 
to  accept  Arthur  Rollins'  proposition  to  flee  with  them. 

Before  they  could  remonstrate  with  him,  he  hurried 
back  to  the  tent  which  Cora  had  so  lately  quitted. 

"  Do  you  think  he  will  prove  false  ?  "  cried  Cora,  in 
much  fear. 

"  We  must  not  trust  him ;  he  may  prove  treacherous. 
That  is  our  safest  plan.  If  our  fears  are  without  founda- 
tion, so  much  the  better." 

At  last  they  were  among  the  tall  trees  that  hid  them 
quite  out  of  sight.  Then,  and  not  until  then,  did  Arthur 
dare  catch  Cora  in  his  arms  and  kiss  her — ay,  madly 
kiss  the  blue  eyes,  golden  hair,  and  red,  quivering  lips. 

"  Thank  God,  we  are  out  of  their  clutches !  "  he  cried. 
"  But  we  are  not  safe  yet.  We  will  have  to  run  for  our 
lives,  my  darling  Cora !  " 


CHAPTER  LVII. 

Captain  Lindsay's  deep  sleep  lasted  for  two  hours.  It 
seemed  to  those  who  passed  by  that  it  was  the  sleep  of 
exhaustion;  yet  no  one  dared  awaken  him,  as  he  had  al- 
ways given  strict  orders  to  that  effect.  His  companions 
laughed  and  chatted  loudly  as  they  sauntered  past  him, 
and  stopped  at  the  spot  where  he  lay,  muttering  inco- 
herent words.  Finally  he  woke  with  a  start,  sat  up,  and 
looked  around  him. 

"  What  a  horrible  dream  I  had !  "  he  said,  rubbing  his 
brow  and  looking  curiously  about  him.    "  I  am  not  a  man 


CORA^   THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT.  235 

to  be  haunted  by  presentiments  of  any  kind,  but  some- 
how there  is  a  feeling  of  impending  evil  which  I  can  not 
shake  off." 

With  a  convulsive  shudder  the  captain  rose  to  his  feet, 
and  peered  anxiously  toward  the  tent  where  he  had  left 
Cora.  One,  two  hours  had  elapsed,  and  she  was,  perhaps, 
ready  and  waiting  for  the  eventful  ceremony  to  take 
place,  no  doubt,  wondering  at  his  strange  absence,  and 
thinking  that  perhaps  he  was  not  going  to  put  in  an  ap- 
pearance, after  all. 

Noiselessly  he  walked  past  the  entrance  of  the  little 
tent.  There  was  no  sound  from  within — ^nothing  to  tell 
him  that  she  was  awaiting  the  bridegroom  to  be. 

Wondering  as  to  what  course  he  had  better  pursue,  he 
drew  near  the  entrance  of  the  tent,  one  comer  of  which 
was  flung  back. 

He  could  see  the  folds  of  her  dress,  which  hung  over 
a  chair,  where  she  had  evidently  laid  it,  and  the  thought 
occurred  to  him  that  the  girl  had  in  all  probability  grown 
tired  of  her  monotonous  surroundings,  and  had  thrown 
herself  down  on  the  little  couch  that  had  been  impro- 
vised for  her  comfort,  and  that  she  was  enjoying  the 
sleep  of  forgetfulness. 

He  made  up  his  mind  that  he  would  not  disturb  her  for 
at  least  a  little  while  longer.  One  hour  more  or  less 
would  not  matter. 

How  long  he  paced  up  and  down  before  the  tent,  the 
impatient  captain  never  remembered  afterward. 

A  young  boy  who  served  in  the  capacity  of  waiter  and 
messenger  came  up  to  him,  and  touching  his  hat  re- 
spectfully, stood  awaiting  orders. 

"Jamie,"  said  the  captain,  displaying  more  good- 
humor  than  he  had  shown  toward  the  youth  for  a  long 


236  CORA,   THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT. 

time,  "  I  want  you  to  take  along  your  best  manners,  and 
stop  at  the  young  lady's  tent  yonder  and  call  out  in  your 
blandest  voice :  '  The  captain  sends  his  compliments  to 
you,  miss,  and  begs  that  you  will  tell  him  if  there  is  any- 
thing that  he  can  do  for  you,  and  how  long  before  you 
wish  the  ceremony  performed.'  Don't  forget  anything; 
remember  every  word,  you  young  rascal !  " 

Thus  admonished,  the  lad  started  off  to  do  his  bidding. 
He  called  at  the  tent  softly,  then  louder  and  louder,  and 
received  no  response. 

Scarcely  daring  to  come  back  to  his  master  without 
a  reply  of  some  kind,  he  took  the  liberty  upon  himself 
of  thrusting  his  head  in  through  the  aperture  that  had 
been  made  in  the  canvas. 

One  quick,  penetrating  glance,  and  the  situation  was 
clear  to  him.  The  occupant  of  the  place  had  gone,  leav- 
ing a  dress  near  the  door. 

Slowly  he  made  his  way  back  to  where  his  master  was 
awaiting  him,  and  stood  hesitatingly  before  him,  ner- 
vously twirling  his  hat  in  his  hand. 

"  Well,  you  are  back  again  almost  before  I  expected 
you.  Of  course  she  sent  me  a  pleasant  answer,  the  sweet 
girl !  "  said  the  captain,  cheerily,  a  broad  smile  lighting 
up  his  stern  face. 

"  Nuthin'  of  the  sort,  sir.  That's  too  good  news, 
cap'n." 

"  Eh  ?  Stop  meddling  so  familiarly  with  my  affairs, 
or  I'll  see  that  you  are  put  where  you  belong,  I  say. 
Come,  what  did  she  say?  Out  with  it,  without  any  of 
your  *  hems  '  or  *  haws.'  " 

"  There's  trouble  o'  some  sort  in  thar,  cap'n,"  he  went 
on,  glibly.  "  I  hollered  and  hollered  to  the  young  miss 
I  thought  was  in  yonder.    Finally  suthin'  tempted  me  to 


CORA,   THE   PET  OF  THE  REGIMENT.  237 

jes*  poke  my  head  in  at  a  rent  I  foun'  had  been  made 
back  of  the  tent." 

"  Well — well ;  go  on — what  then  ?  "  thundered  the  of- 
ficer as  he  caught  the  boy's  shoulder  and  held  it  in  a 

painful  grip. 

A  look  of  uneasiness  overspread  the  youth's  features, 
and  for  an  instant  he  dared  not  answer,  lest  he  should 
arouse  the  wrath  of  the  irate  captain. 

Finally  he  summoned  up  courage  to  proceed,  and  went 
on  agitatedly: 

"  I  peered  all  around,  and  there  wasn't  a  solitary  living 
person  inside  that  tent.  Nuffin  but  jes'  a  dress  lying 
thar  near  the  door.    You  can  see  that  for  yourself,  cap'n." 

In  a  trice  the  captain  made  a  spring  into  the  tent. 
One  glance  showed  him  the  truth.  Cora  Ormsby  was  not 
there.  For  the  second  time  she  had  outwitted  him,  and 
with  a  savage  cry  of  rage  he  turned  toward  the  place 
where  he  had  left  Arthur  Rollins.  He,  too,  was  gone, 
and  that,  too,  from  beneath  his  very  eyes. 

The  shout  which  he  uttered  gathered  all  the  road 
agents  around  him. 

"  These  people  have  both  given  me  the  slip !  "  he  cried. 
*'  Quick !  to  horse,  and  overtake  them,  for  they  will  have 
every  member  of  the  garrison  around  us  in  no  time." 

Suddenly  it  dawned  upon  them  that  they  were  refusing 
to  take  orders  from  him.  For  the  first  time  since  they 
had  been  banded  together  there  were  signs  of  mutiny 
among  the  men. 

"  Are  you  so  blind,  men,  that  you  can  not  see  your 
own  danger?"  he  cried. 

"  We  see  danger  ahead  if  we  follow  where  you  lead!  " 
they  cried  out,  doggedly.  "  All  you  want  is  to  follow 
up  the  girl,  no  matter  about  us !  " 


838  CORA,  THE  PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT. 

"  This  is  not  a  time  for  you  to  get  up  such  nonsensical 
notions  I "  he  cried,  "  Every  man  to  horse,  and  keep 
those  two  from  getting  to  Fort  Hadley  at  all  hazards." 

As  before,  not  a  man  moved. 

"  Then  I  will  undertake  it  myself !  "  he  cried,  springing 
into  the  saddle  with  a  fierce  determination  of  overtaking 
thert. 

"  We  will  not  trust  you  to  leave  us !  "  cried  one,  grasp- 
ing the  bridle  of  his  horse. 

"  Dare  you  detain  me  ?  "  he  cried. 

"  It  looks  a  little  bit  like  it,  doesn't  it?"  he  cried. 

Quick  as  a  flash  he  drew  a  revolver  from  his  pocket  and 
shot  the  Kian  dead,  then  dug  his  spurs  into  the  animal's 
side. 

He  fairly  mowed  his  way  through  their  midst. 

The  animal  he  had  chosen  was  a  fiery  one,  and  his 
frantic  plunges  and  mad  leaps  threatened  to  unseat  him. 

A  moment  later  he  was  lost  to  sight.  He  followed  in 
the  direction  which  the  fugitives  must  have  taken. 

There  were  two  shots  left  in  his  rifle.  Rather  than 
have  them  escape  him  now,  he  would  not  hesitate  to  shoot 
them  both  down. 

A  cry  of  triumph  broke  from  his  lips,  as,  looking  ahead, 
he  beheld  them  ascending  the  hill  not  far  away. 

But  instead  of  two  forms  there  were  three,  as  near 
as  he  could  make  out. 

The  sudden  confusion  which  the  sight  of  the  dark 
forms  brought  to  him  came  very  near  causing  him  to 
change  the  dark  plot  of  vengeance  which  he  had  formed 

in  his  mind. 

"  It  can  not  be  that  I  am  mistaken.  This  is  the  only 
route  that  they  could  possibly  have  taken  to  gain  the 


CORA,   THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT.  239 

fort,  which  they  would  soon  be  able  to  do  if  left  to  them- 
selves. But  I  must  not  lose  time  in  idle  conjectures;  I 
will  redouble  my  horse's  speed,  and  in  a  short  time  over- 
take them.  Yet,  what  I  shall  do  with  those  two  men 
whom  I  should  make  prisoners  of,  baffles  my  judgment 
completely.  If  I  could  overpower  them,  bind  and  gag 
them,  then  return  with  Cora  to  camp,  those  unruly  fel- 
lows might  come  to  my  rescue  and  bring  them  back  to 
our  retreat  again.  I  shall  stand  no  fooling  this  time 
when  I  have  them  safe  as  prisoners,  but  I  will  see  that 
they  are  shot  down  as  traitors  are  pimished !  "  he  mut- 
tered to  himself. 

"  Now  is  my  time,"  thought  Captain  Lindsay,  a  fiend- 
ish smile  playing  about  his  lips.  He  raised  his  rifle  to  his 
shoulder  and  took  aim  at  Arthur.  But  oh !  unlucky  shot, 
to  his  horror  he  saw  that  his  aim  had  gone  wide  of  the 
mark;  the  slim  figure  threw  up  its  arms  and  fell  face 
downward. 


CHAPTER  LVni. 

With  a  great  cry,  Arthur  Rollins  faced  about. 

"  Who  fired  that  shot  ?  "  he  cried. 

"  I — I  think  I  ahi  done  for !  "  cried  the  young  road 
agent,  for  it  was  he  who  had  received  the  shot  instead  - 
of  Cora.    "  They  are  on  our  trail;  do  the  best  you  can  tO" 
escape  them.    My  prayers,  if  they  avail  anything,  will  be 
with  you.    Ah !  it  is  Captain  Lindsay !  "  he  cried  in  the 
same  breath.     "  I  knew  it ;  but  the  men  are  not  with 


240  CORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT. 

him,"  he  added,  faintly ;  "  he  is  alone.  Here,  take  my  re- 
volver and  rifle,  young  man ;  you  may  need  them." 

Those  were  the  most  sorrowful  words  he  ever  uttered. 
His  head  fell  forward,  and  there  was  a  smile  on  his  lips, 
and  they  knew  that  all  would  soon  be  over  with  him. 

"  Go  your  way,  and  never  mind  me,"  he  whispered. 
"  You  could  do  nothing  for  me,  and  time  is  precious,  with 
those  rascals  on  your  track.     Go !    Leave  me !  " 

Realizing  that  he  was  beyond  human  skill,  and  that 
loitering  there  only  meant  danger  to  themselves,  Cora 
and  Arthur  pushed  onward ;  but  they  had  scarcely  taken 
a  dozen  steps  forward  ere  another  report  rang  out  on 
the  air,  so  near  to  Arthur  that  he  could  hear  the  whiz 
of  the  bullet  as  it  flew  past  his  cheek. 

Cora  could  utter  no  word.  She  had  seen  so  much  of 
danger  that  she  was  becoming  inured  to  it.  But  it  seemed 
to  her  that  she  had  reached  the  height  of  human  happi- 
ness, being  with  Arthur  for  those  brief  moments.  Her 
energy  had  worked  wonders  for  her.  His  very  presence, 
too,  seemed  to  exhilarate  her,  his  words  of  encourage- 
ment to  keep  her  from  falling  by  the  way-side. 

"  We  are  within  two  miles  of  the  nearest  fort,  Cora," 
he  said  to  her,  "  and  when  once  there  our  troubles  will 
soon  be  over.  Do  you  think  you  have  strength  enough 
to  reach  it  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  she  answered.  "  Where  thou  leadest  I  can 
follow." 

At  that  moment  they  espied  a  group  of  horsemen 
coming  down  upon  them.  One  glance,  and  a  cry  of  joy 
broke  from  Arthur's  lips. 

"  Thank  God !  it  is  some  of  the  cavalry  from  Fort 
Hadley.    Heaven  be  praised,  we  are  saved  1 " 


CORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE  REGIMENT.  241 

This  proved  to  be  the  case,  and  Cora's  intense  joy 
knew  no  bounds. 

Drawing  his  handkerchief  from  his  breast-pocket,  Ar- 
thur waved  it  vigorously.  Cora  sat  down  upon  a  fallen 
log,  and,  woman-like,  sobbed  as  though  her  heart  would 
break  now  that  the  worst  danger  seemed  over. 

A  moment  more  and  the  cavalry  had  reached  their 
side.  To  find  Arthur  Rollins  there,  and  Cora  Ormsby, 
the  old  general's  daughter  by  his  side,  in  male  attire, 
fairly  took  their  breath  away. 

Before  Arthur  could  explain  the  situation,  Captain 
Lindsay,  fairly  covered  with  dust,  rushed  up. 

"  Hold,  men !  "  he  shouted,  dashing  into  the  midst  of 
the  cavalry.  "  I  have  tracked  down  Arthur  Rollins,  the 
deserter.  It  was  he  who  abducted  our  old  general's 
lovely  daughter.  I  command  you  to  shoot  him  down 
on  the  spot,  as  we  always  shoot  down  deserters !  " 

"  No,  no !  "  cried  Cora ;  "  it  is  false !  Listen  to  me : 
Mr.  Arthur  Rollins  has  saved  me  from  that  traitor  yon- 
tler,"  pointing  to  Lindsay. 

"  Gentlemen,"  broke  in  the  captain,  "  I  may  as  well 
tell  the  truth  still  further.  Not  only  has  that  miserable 
deserter  yonder  abducted  the  girl  whom  we  all  loved  at 
the  fort,  but  he  has  succeeded  in  hypnotizing  her  as  well. 
Death  is  too  good  for  him.  You  all  know  that  she  was 
to  be  my  bride,  and  what  happened.  Do  not  hesitate  in 
obeying  the  orders  of  your  commanding  officer.  Shoot 
him  down  as  you  would  the  veriest  reptile  by  the  road- 
side, as  you  swore  to  do  when  you  took  the  oath  of  the 
army.     To  arms  !     Ready  !  " 

And  then,  to  Cora's  great  surprise  and  terror,  every 
man  slowly  raised  his  rifle,  and  pointed  it  directly  at 
Arthur  Rollins. 


J42  CXDRA,   THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT. 

"  For  God's  sake,  wait !  "  pleaded  Cora  Ormsby,  falling 
before  them,  and  raising  her  white  hands  supplicatingly 
to  Heaven.  "  Stop!  on  your  life — I  beg!  "  screamed  the 
girl,  as  the  men  waited  for  the  order  to  aim. 

"  Do  not  mind  her !  "  reiterated  the  irate  captain.  "  I 
tell  you,  follow  my  instructions  at  once !  "  This  without 
paying  the  least  regard  to  the  supplicating  figure  of  the 
girl  who  was  making  such  frantic  efforts  to  save  the  life 
of  her  lover. 

Waving  her  away,  the  leader  of  the  troop  signified 
his  intention  to  his  men  to  carry  out  the  captain's  orders, 
and  open  fire  upon  young  Rollins  without  delay. 

There  was  a  fixed  look  upon  the  men's  faces  which 
could  not  for  a  moment  be  misinterpreted  ;  and  Cora  read 
determination  in  their  eyes,  which  roused  the  poor  girl 
to  the  highest  pitch  of  action,  that  became  almost  one 
of  frenzy. 

Once  again  she  gathered  her  scattered  senses,  and 
quick  as  the  dart  of  a  meteor,  Cora  threw  herself,  with 
a  mighty  bound,  in  front  of  Arthur  Rollins  just  as  the 
click  of  the  triggers  were  resounding. 

In  less  time  than  it  takes  to  tell  it,  they  had  each  com- 
prehended the  awful  peril  in  which  she  had  thrown  her- 
self, and  the  bullets  that  had  been  intended  for  Arthur 
Rollins  were  discharged  over  his  head. 

"  Thank  God !  "  murmured  the  girl,  hysterically.  "  I 
— I — ^have  saved  him !  " 

Captain  Lindsay  jumped  forward  with  tigerish  agility. 

"  Fire  again !  "  he  cried,  seizing  the  girl  by  the  arrn 
and  thrusting  her  aside. 

"  Gentlemen !  "  cried  Arthur  Rollins,  pale  as  death, 
**  let  me  have  your  attention  for  one  brief  moment.    Re- 


CX)RA,  THE  PET  OF  THE  REGIMEBB.  348 

member  that  I  once  led  you  on  to  victory ;  remember  that 
I  faced  the  deadly  arrows  in  advance  of  you.  I  did  not 
fear  death  then;  I  am  the  same  man  to-day.  I  do  not 
fear  death.  But  I  do  wish  justice.  I — I  ask  you,  as  a 
man  among  men,  to  take  me  before  the  proper  tribunal 
at  Fort  Hadley,  and  let  me  stand  trial,  and  I  promise 
you  that  I  will  abide  by  the  decision  rendered.  No  mat- 
ter what  this  man  charges  me  with,  let  me  prove  my  in- 
nocence, or  stand  by  the  consequences !  " 

"  That  is  only  fair !  "  cried  the  men  in  chorus.  **  Let 
us  give  him  a  chance  to  prove  his  innocence,  especially 
as  there  is  a  doubt  in  our  minds !  " 

"  Agreed !  agreed !  "  cried  every  man. 

As  Captain  Lindsay  listened,  his  face  grew  Mrid  witk 
rage. 

He  sarr  what  the  outcome  of  it  would  be — that  he 
would  stand  no  show  when  the  truth  was  known.  He  re- 
solved at  once  upon  a  bold  piece  of  strategy. 

"  I  am  perfectly  willing,  men,  that  he  should  be  taken 
back  to  Fort  Hadley  and  placed  on  trial,"  he  said,  much 
to  the  surprise  of  Arthur  Rollins  and  the  other  men. 

"  Fall  in  line !  "  said  the  commander  of  the  troops. 

Each  soldier  obeyed  the  order.  No  one  noticed  that 
Captain  Lindsay  himself  fell  back,  taking  his  position 
directly  behind  Arthur  Rollins. 

There  was  a  wicked  gleam  in  his  eyes  that  might  have 
warned  them  of  approaching  danger  had  they  but  seen  it ; 
but  there  was  nothing  to  tell  them  of  what  was  to  hap- 
pen in  the  near  future. 

A  mile  or  even  more  the  party  traveled  in  silence. 
Two  of  the  soldiers  had  offered  their  horses  to  the  gen- 
eral's daughter  and  her  companion,  while  Captain  Lind- 


244  CORA,   THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT. 

say  had  mounted  the  extra  horse,  which  they  generally 
took  with  them  in  case  of  emergency. 

Every  step  he  journeyed  Captain  Lindsay  was  busy 
thinking  over  a  plan  which  he  had  laid  out  to  accomplisll 
his  diabolical  purpose  at  the  first  opportunity  that  pre- 
sented itself. 

Cora  had  kept  up  her  courage  until  now  by  a  super- 
human effort;  but  at  last  an  oppression  stole  over  her 
which  she  could  not  shake  off. 

She  wished  that  Captain  Lindsay  would  ride  in  front 
of  them ;  she  would  not  feel  quite  so  uneasy  then. 

She  whispered  her  fears  to  Arthur,  but  he  quickly 
reassured  her  that  she  had  nothing  to  fear — ^he  would 
not  dare  prove  treacherous.  But  with  a  woman's  instinct, 
Cora  did  not  feel  at  all  sure  of  this. 

"  He  will  bear  watching,"  she  thought,  quite  nervously. 

Once  or  twice,  when  she  had  turned  round  unex- 
pectedly, she  noticed  that  Captain  Lindsay  was  watching 
Arthur  with  a  terrible  gleam  in  his  eyes. 

He  made  the  attempt  to  shoot  Arthur  once  before,  and 
she  had  saved  him.  She  felt  that  he  would  resort  to 
some  other  treachery  the  first  chance  that  he  should  find. 

Cora  had  been  so  persistent  in  openly  declaring  that 
there  was  impending  danger  hovering  round  her  lover, 
that  she  had  not,  in  her  excitement,  taken  the  precaution 
to  whisper  in  a  low  voice,  so  that  none  but  Arthur  him- 
self would  hear  her. 

A  young  soldier  who  was  riding  along  on  the  other 
side  of  the  general's  daughter  heard  the  words  as  they 
fell  from  the  lips  of  the  frightened  girl,  although  he 
had  not  intended  to  play  the  part  of  eavesdropper  in  the 
lovers'  conversation. 


CORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT.  245 

He  was  startled  by  the  earnestness  of  her  appeal  to  him, 
and  he  made  up  his  mind  that  he  would  keep  a  strict 
lookout  for  any  danger  that  mighi  menace  them. 

He  had  not  long  to  wait.  He  soon  observed  Catpain 
Lindsay's  eyes  slowly  but  stealthily  cover  Arthur  Rollins. 

Quick  as  a  flash  he  put  himself  between  them,  pre- 
tending that  it  was  his  horse's  careerings.  He  met  Cap- 
tain Lindsay's  eye,  and  in  that  instant  the  captain  knew 
that  his  plan  was  well  known  to  this  man,  and  that  he 
woiild  frustrate  it  if  he  possibly  could. 

That  Arthur  Rollins  should  never  reach  Fort  Had- 
ley,  he  was  determined. 

It  maddened  him,  too,  to  see  how  Cora  clung  to  his 
rival,  not  so  much  as  deigning  to  notice  him  by  so  much 
as  a  glance.  He  saw  then  and  there  that  the  girl  was 
as  good  as  lost  to  him,  and  realizing  this,  he  grew  des- 
perate. 

The  soldier  continued  to  ride  directly  between  him 
and  Arthur,  but  there  was  no  one  between  him  and  Cora. 
A  terrible  thought  came  to  him.  Should  he  let  the  girl 
live  to  marry  his  rival  ?  No !  a  thousand  times  no !  The 
very  thought  was  gall  and  wormwood  to  him. 

There  was  but  one  alternative — to  end  her  life  and  his 
own  then  and  there.    Yes,  he  would  do  it. 

He  raised  his  rifle,  took  deliberate  aim  at  Cora,  and 
fired! 


1846  CORA,  THE   PET  OF  THE   REGIMENT. 


CHAPTER  LIX. 

There  was  a  shout  and  a  cry  simultaneously  with  the 
report  from  Captain  Lindsay's  rifle.  It  was  not  Cora 
that  fell,  it  was  the  gallant  young  soldier  who  sprung  for- 
ward just  in  time  to  save  her,  receiving  in  his  own  breast 
the  death-dealing  bullet  that  had  been  intended  for  the 
young  girl. 

In  a  moment  the  greatest  excitement  prevailed  among 
the  soldiers.  A  dozen  strong  pairs  of  hands  grasped 
him.  Ere  he  could  pull  the  trigger  to  fire  the  second  shot, 
he  was  surrounded  and  fairly  dragged  from  his  horse 
amid  the  greatest  confusion. 

Cora  and  Arthur  were  so  startled  that  they  could  not 
speak.  They  could  only  look  at  each  other  with  terror- 
stricken  eyes. 

"  Do  not  fear,"  said  one  of  the  soldiers,  "  he  shall  not 
have  an  opportunity  to  hurt  you,  miss.    He  realizes  that" 

There  was  the  greatest  excitement  at  Fort  Hadley 
when  the  party  arrived  there. 

The  astonishment  of  every  one  at  seeing  Captain  Lind- 
say a  prisoner,  and  handcuffed,  knew  no  bounds. 

Captain  Lindsay  saw  that  he  was  in  a  terrible  predica- 
ment, and  he  made  up  his  mind  that  he  must  do  some- 
thing to  help  himself  before  their  fury  reached  the  high- 
est pitch. 

"  Hold,  comrades !  I  have  been  wronged  by  yonder 
man !  "  he  cried  out,  hoarsely.  "  I  am  the  one  who  has 
just  need  to  complain,  Heaven  above  knows !  " 

It  was  the  talk  of  the  whole  fort  for  the  next  few 
hours. 


COKA,  THE  PET  OF  THE  REGIMENT.  247 

Secretly  every  one  believed  Arthur  to  be  in  the  right 
and  Captain  Lindsay  in  the  wrong. 

Lyle  Warner  was  overjoyed  at  seeing  Arthur  Rollins* 
face  again,  but  her  deep  hatred  of  Cora  knew  no  bounds. 

She  could  have  raised  her  white  hands  and  slain  her 
then  and  there. 

As  Captain  Lindsay  was  being  led  away,  his  glance 
fell  upon  Joe,  the  half-breed,  standing  back,  almost  hid- 
den among  the  group,  watching  what  was  taking  place. 

He  made  a  rapid  sign  to  him.  The  man  only  nodded; 
but  they  seemed  to  understand  each  other  plainly,  and 
the  dark  frown  cleared  from  Captain  Lindsay's  face,  and 
in  its  place  a  gleam  of  triumph  which  he  tried  hard 
to  conceal. 

The  half-breed  watched  carefully  to  see  what  disposi- 
tion was  made  of  Captain  Lindsay. 

"  I  will  liberate  him  in  good  time,"  he  said  to  himself. 
"  He  shall  gain  possession  of  the  girl  for  me,  and  when 
that  is  done  I  shall  take  her  from  him." 

It  did  not  take  Captain  Lindsay  long  to  realize  how 
affairs  were  turning.  If  he  could  only  keep  the  inquiry 
up  until  dusk,  perhaps  Joe,  the  half-breed,  would  be 
there.  And  then — ah !  well,  something  so  startling  would 
happen,  that  the  men  who  sat  there  waiting  to  convict 
him  would  wish  they  had  never  been  bom. 

At  that  very  moment  he  caught  sight  of  the  half- 
breed,  and  he  could  scarcely  restrain  his  look  of  triumph. 

Again  that  look,  accompanied  by  a  nod,  which  told 
the  captain  that  all  was  ready  for  carrying  out  their 
plans. 

The  next  instant  a  terrible  cry  rang  through  the  fort. 

"  To  arms !    Every  man !    The  Indians  are  upon  us !  " 


348  CORA,  THE  PET  OF  THE  REGIMENT. 

The  committee  who  were  in  charge  of  the  case  were 
fairly  paralyzed  for  a  moment. 

"  Let  me  lead  you  on  to  victory  or  death  I  "  cried  Ar- 
thur Rollins,  springing  to  his  feet. 

Suddenly  there  was  the  report  of  a  rifle,  and  the  next 
instant,  without  a  moan  or  cry,  Captain  Lindsay,  who  was 
seated  just  in  front  of  Arthur,  fell  to  the  floor. 

Half-breed  Joe,  for  it  was  his  work,  uttered  a  cry  of 
terror.  In  his  excitement  he  had  killed  the  wrong  man, 
then  turned  and  fled. 


CHAPTER  LX. 

Upon  Captain  Lindsay's  person  was  found  the  proof 
of  his  guilt  in  the  shape  of  letters  to  be  sent  to  his  brother, 
the  road  agent,  informing  him  just  what  time  the  stages 
were  expected  to  pass  a  certain  point,  and  if  they  car- 
ried valuables  or  not.  Getting  rid  of  such  a  dangerous 
person  was  the  occasion  of  much  rejoicing  at  the  fort. 
where  Captain  Lindsay  had  never  been  liked  by  his 
brother  officers. 

There  was  only  one  person  who  did  not  rejoice  at  the 
termination  of  affairs,  and  that  was  Lyle  Warner. 

The  news  that  Arthur  and  Cora  were  to  be  wedded, 
was  more  bitter  than  death  to  her,  for  she  still  loved 
'Arthur  Rollins — loved  him  as  only  a  girl  like  Lyle  can 
love — with  all  the  mad  strength  of  her  heart.    She  could 


OOKA,  THE  PET  OF  THE  REGIMENT.  349 

not  witness  the  marriage ;  she  had  set  her  mind  upon  its 
not  taking  place. 

On  the  day  which  was  to  see  Cora  his  bride  she  sud- 
denly disappeared.  When  search  was  made  for  her, 
they  found  the  body  of  beautiful  Lyle  in  the  creek  a  few 
rods  from  the  fort. 

At  first  they  thought  it  an  accident,  but  a  slip  of  paper 
found  in  her  pocket  told  its  own  story.  It  contained  but 
a  few  words,  in  which  she  left  all  her  property,  which 
her  Aunt  Bitterwood  had  bequeathed  her,  to  Arthur. 

At  first  he  refused  to  accept  it;  but  when  they  all 
assured  him  that  he  was  in  duty  bound  to  do  so  for 
Cora's  sake,  that  it  was  General  Ormsby's  property  any- 
how, and  that  it  would  be  cruel  to  deprive  his  only  daugh- 
ter of  her  rights,  he  had  no  choice  but  to  accept. 

At  this  juncture  a  large  sealed  packet  arrived  from 
Washington,  directed  to  Arthur  Rollins.  Opening  it  with 
much  curiosity,  Arthur  found  that  it  was  a  commission 
which  had  been  bestowed  upon  him  for  his  bravery  in 
leading  the  men  to  victory  in  the  great  Indian  outbreak, 
the  account  of  which  had  startled  the  whole  country  a 
short  time  before.  He  took  it  to  Cora  and  laid  it  in  her 
hands, 

"  Shall  I  accept,  darling  ?  "  he  whispered.  "  You  know 
what  it  means — a  life  of  peril  and  hardship.  With  you 
by  my  side  I  could  face  anything." 

Cora  nestled  closer  to  her  broad-shouldered  soldier- 
lover. 

"  Do  not  accept  the  commission,  Arthur,"  she  said. 
"  Let  us  get  back  to  civilization ;  I  have  had  enough  of 
life  on  the  frontier." 

That  was  how  Arthur  happened  to  refuse  the  com- 
mission. 


250  C»RA,  THE   PET  OP  THE   REGIMENT. 

A  week  later  their  marriage  took  place.  It  was  the 
happiest  event  that  had  ever  occurred  at  Fort  Hadley, 
and  they  talked  about  it  for  many  and  many  a  day  after- 
ward— how  lovely  the  bride  looked,  and  how  brave  and 
gallant  the  bridegroom  appeared ;  how  devoted  they  were 
to  each  other;  what  a  happy  life  they  would  be  sure  to 
lead.  Every  member  of  the  fort  banded  together  and 
shook  their  hands,  wishing  them  Godspeed. 

With  the  marriage  of  our  hero  and  heroine,  we  must 
conclude  our  narrative,  for  what  more  pleasing  finale 
can  a  story  have  than  the  love  which  ends  in  marriage 
and  happiness  at  last? 

THE  END. 


THE  A.  and  L  SERIES 

POPULAR  CLOTH 

BOUND  BOOKS 


Issued  ONLY  by 
THE  ARTHUR  WESTBROOK  COMPANY 


The  Arthur  Wcstbrook  Company,  in  further- 
ance of  its  policy  to  give  the  reading^  public  the 
best  stories  at  the  lowest  price,  now  offers  books 
by  the  foremost  writers  not  only  of  today  but  of 
the  last  decade. 

These  books  are  bound  in  cloth. 
The  covers  are  attractive. 
Each    book    costs   only   TWENTY -FIVE 
CENTS. 

Among-  the  writers  whose  works  are  offered 
at  this  POPULAR  PRICE  are  such  men  and 
women  as  Rider  Haggard,  Guy  Boothby, 
Charles  Garvice,  Marie  Corelli,  Agusta  Evans 
Laura  Jean  Libbey,  and  many  others  whose 
names  are  only  a  little  less  dear  to  the  hearts 
of  the  reading  public  who  like  to  read  real  books, 
written  about  real  people,  who  have  real  experi- 
ences. 

The  A.  and  L.  Scries  Popular  Cloth  Bound 
Books  is  on  sale  at  all  newsdealers  and  book- 
sellers, but  it  is  only  published  by 

THE  ARTHUR  WESTBROOK   COMPANY, 
Cleveland,  Ohio,  U.  S.  A. 


If  you  wish  to  read  entertaining,  fascinating 
books,  look  for  the  name,  /^^  Sind  L* 
SERIES. 

These  popular  cloth  hound  books  are  issued 
only  by  The  ARTHUR  WESTBROOK  COM- 
PANY. 

The  A.  and  L.  SERIES  will  contain,  among 
others,  the  following  stories   by 

GUY  BOOTHBY 

The  Kidnapped  President 

A  Prince  of  Swindlers 

The  Mystery  of  the  Clasped  Hands 

H.  RIDER  HAGGARD 

Cleopatra 

King  Solomon's  Mines 

She 

The  Witches'  Head 

The  World's  Desire 

LOUIS  TRACY 
The  Jewel  of  Death 
A  Japanese  Revenge 

FRED  M.  WHITE 
Mystery  of  the  Crimson  Blind 

J.  PHILLIPS  OPPENHEIM 

Mysterious  Mr,  Sabin 


MAX  PEMBERTON 
The  Shadow  on  the  Sea 

F.  DU  BOISGOBEY 

The  Severed  Hand 

LAURA  JEAN  LIBBEY 
Kidnapped  at  the  Altar 
Gladiola's  Two  Lovers 

A  Bride  for  a  Day 

AiCta's  Terrible  Secret 

The  Romance  of  Enola 

A  Handsome  Engineer's  Flirtation 

Was  She  Sweetheart  or  Wife 

Delia's  Handsome  Lover 

Flora  Garland's  Courtship 

My  Sweetheart  Idabell 

Pretty  Madcap  Dorothy 

The  Loan  of  a  Lover 

A  Fatal  Elopement 

The  Girl  He  Forsook 

Which  Loved  Her  Best 

A  Dangerous  Flirtation 

Garnetta,  the  Silver  King's  Daughter 

Flora  Temple 

Pretty  Rose  Hall 

Cora,  the  Pet  of  the  Regiment 

Jolly  Sally  Pendleton 


MARIE  CORELLI 

Vendetta 
A  Romance  of  Two  Worlds 

CHARLES  GARVICE 

She  Loved  Him 

The  Marquis 
A  Wasted  Love 

Her  Ransom 


AUGUSTA  EVANS 

St.  Elmo 

Inez 

MRS.  SOUTHWORTH 

Ishmael 

Self-Raised 

The  Missing  Bride 

India 


CHARLOTTE  M.  BRAEME 

Thorns  and  Orange  Blossoms 

A  Dark  Marriage  Morn 

Dora  Thorne 


19 


University  of  Ca"»2Tifv  pacilITY 
SOUTHERN  «EG.ONALUBRARY  FACILIT^ 

•  *  »_  v/    U*     u  L      '  '"  • 

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MAY  12 


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LIBRARY  FACILITY 


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